It is funny how people will trash Glen Sather for the moves he makes as the General Manager of the New York Rangers. Yet in the very next breath people will want Sather to go make more moves and some of them even worse than what Sather has done.
Take what our pal Larry Brooks suggested in his Sunday article that the Rangers go out and sign Ilya Kovalchuk. Yes Larry let the Rangers go out and spend money that they do not have on a player who for all his numbers has yet to show he is a winner.
What "Uncle" Larry is not telling Ranger fans is that it is not that Glen Sather is saving money for a rainy day; he just does not have any more to spend. What "Uncle" Larry is not saying is that if the Rangers were to follow his very bad idea then the Rangers would not have anything to spend not only the rest of this season but also for a number of seasons.
It is funny how it is OK for any of us to trash Sather for spending money on bad contracts but yet Brooks thinks the Rangers need to add Kovalchuk to their lineup.Nevermind how Brooks does not show how the Rangers could find a way to pay for Kovalchuk's salary this season; how will Brooks create the needed cap space.
No the Rangers do no have a Duncan Keith or a Nicklas Backstrom on the depth chart but sign Kovalchuk to a long term high salaried contract and you will see a roster full of 3rd and 4th liners cause the Rangers will not be able to afford much more.
Funny though that Brooks picks Keith and Backstrom and says the Rangers do not have any of them anywhere in the system because he is wrong. It took Keith several seasons after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 NHL Entry draft to reach where he is today.
Who is to say that Marc Staal or Michael Del Zotto won't develop in their own right into All-Stars as defensemen? Let us see where each player is 9 years after they have been drafted and then talk about them.
Nicklas Backstrom is an excellent player but in my book Chris Krieder is going to be a better overall player when all is said and done. Ethan Werek has the skill set to be just as important to the Rangers as Backstrom is to the Capitals.
But in order to allow a Krieder or a Werek to reach their potential, the Rangers have to stop giving free agents fat contracts that become dead weight as Wade Redden's contract has become. How much does someone want to bet that if the Rangers had thought of this move before Brooks suggested it that Brooks would be trashing the Rangers for considering it?
Exactly so the same message we say to the Rangers now needs to be said to "Uncle" Larry: It is not how much money you spend but rather how well you spend it.
Next week he will be saying how foolish whoever signs Kovalchuk is for signing him to whatever contract he gets.
(Kovalchuk courtesy of the NHL)
5 comments:
I agree wholeheartedly. Larry Brooks is a bufoon. He is the most negative reporter and has no plan on how to fit Kovy in.
Also Uncle Larry endorsing Donald Fehr as the new head of the players union is destining this league for another lockout.
Paul Kelly was kicked out because he wanted to work with the owners in synergy whereas a guy like Fehr takes an adverserial approach and will let the owners shut down. The owners love the cap. Cost certainty has driven up the amount of people looking to buy NHL Franchises making there Franchises more valuable. Donald Fehr wants to blow up the Cap in the next CBA negotiation.
Prepare for another lockout because the owners will not back off Cost Certainty.
In two years when some of those aforementioned players are ready for the big show, we'll have plenty of cap space, including an in the prime tender (hopefully) and two great goal scorers. wave redden and we should go for it now.
brooks for the most part is an ahole, but i've been saying for weeks now we have to get kovalchuk. there's not one compelling reason i've heard from all the naysayers to not get him.
as far as him not winning, a red herring and a ridiculous comment as a zillion players haven't won for one reason or another.
kovy belongs in nyc and if we don't sign him it's another slap in the face to all of us who pay good money to see this team. i really feel this says we as owners don't care about winning because people are buying seats to msg no matter what. this is an in the prime goal scorer, not like the mistakes we've made in the past. sign him now.
Gee, thanks for actually telling me what I want to hear. I've been getting drowned out with IK talk. Guy's been a minus player who plays one-way hockey and vanished against the NYR in a playoff series. He's a fine scorer, but 10 year deals? 10 M per? NFW.If he took 8 per for 5, I'm interested, otherwise, let's see what we have.
Ed K
Jess man, you have no idea how much I wish you are right. To make the claim that Chris Kreider will be better than Backstrom is just, wow. If the Rangers can get the best passer in the NHL out of an American high school, well that would be quite the coup. From what I've seen I think you are out of your frakking mind, but hell, it would be wonderful for the Rangers to develop a world class forward ... seeing as they haven't done that since what? Gilbert/Ratelle?
Paul,
The NHL was destined for another lockout the moment they signed the last CBA. As long as the NHL GM keep giving out bad contracts then the owners will keep expecting the NHLPA to save them from themselves.
Ryan
Here is why I do not sign Kovalchuk: because he does not make those he plays with better.
Look at how Gaborik turned a journeyman like Christensen into his center?
Who has gotten better with Kovalchuk?
Ed
I know the feeling as I do not understand why so many are in love with the guy? Just what the Rangers need another bad contract that handcuffs them.
Scotty
Have you watch Krieder closely? Here is a kid who has no idea just how good he himself can be.
It is more than just that cute goal in the Beanpot; it is his instincts to make the big play look easy.
This High School kid scored more big goals last year than anyone else I watch at any level.
He did it in the WJC, he did it in the NCAA and he did it at the Frozen Four.
Krieder is a rock solid 2 way player who's is going to get even better.
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