Marian Hossa is one ungrateful dude. After the Rangers tried their best (unsuccessfully) to mold his little brother into an NHL caliber player, Marian goes and signs with the Chicago Blackhawks. In his relentless quest to play for a contender, Hossa asked his agent to “show me the money”. Chicago did. If he never wins a Cup at least he can pad his IRA and live out his old age in comfort back in Stara.
And so, as Dany Heatley jerked the chain of the Senators and the other teams that would take on his headache, Glen Sather needed to bust a move on a pure goal scorer. After all, there’s fly fishing to be done and the quicker the free agent signings go, the faster Sather can slither into his hip waders. But I digress.
So Sather makes the other Marian an offer he can’t refuse and, viola, a big part of Sather’s job is done. Like everything Sather does, this signing could be minimal reward and maximum risk. After all, Glen’s giving Gaborik $250,000 more per year for the next five years then was committed to Gomez. Where’s the money going to come from to get a first pair defenseman? And while the length of the contract is not unmanageable, Gaborik has proven so far to made of glass. Glen’s a gambler.Â
Notwithstanding what could turn out, barring injury, to be a decent signing, Sather defies our imagination and probably makes his worst signing so far as the Rangers GM. What in God’s name is Sather thinking, letting Colton Orr go and signing the filthiest goon of all time, Donald Brashear? I know the Rangers need a new player rep for Ice Hockey In Harlem now that Gomez is gone but this is ridiculous. I honestly think the Brashear signing is worse then Redden. Brashear will take more stupid penalties then Ryan Hollweg with about the same offensive upside as Hollweg.
I understand that with Pronger now in Philadelphia all the Atlantic Division teams had to up their enforcer quotient. I would have rolled the dice with a fan favorite like Orr rather then the most despised goon in the league. I guess Sather really isn’t going to resign Blair Betts now. How could he after what Brashear did in the playoffs? Brashear is more hated then Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz and Ken “the Rat” Linesmen were in their day (curiously all Flyers). Donald Brashear is unworthy to wear the Ranger uniform
Surely more shoes are going to drop as Free Agent Frenzy continues. But, in signing Brashear, one has to think a shoe was dropped on Sather’s head. It’s always one step forward and two steps back with the Glen Sather Side Show.
Posted under New York Rangers
This post was written by m hurley on July 2, 2009
I guess you have to be the devil’s advocate literally as well as figurately to stand up for Brashear after what you wrote.
Orr was a great guy, did his well job, but he’s moved on.
I don’t know if there’s an any upside offensively at his age for Brashear although he’s much more of a distraction than Orr deep in.
The big thing Brashear adds is proactivity. In the times when Avery was not there, last year and before, the Rangers would sleep walk through losses. There was never any attempt to change the complexion of the game by smashing someone in the face for no reason. Orr was there but that’s not his style.
Avery certainly adds that element of uncertainty but without the fear factor. No one knows what Brashear is going to do and if you don’t stop him, as Shanahan did that one night, he’ll do it all night.
I haven’t followed Tortorella that closely through the years but I remember one night at MSG the Rangers were walking all over Tampa Bay, a few goals ahead, and the Bolts looked like they were just going through the motions. All of a sudden Andre Roy comes out and blindsides someone, fists fly, and for the rest of that game the Bolts played like they were in the seventh game of the cup finals although it didn’t make any difference in the score. Tortorella sent them a message, earn your salary. I think that Brashear is his man.
Put it this way.If Avery and Brashear get on the same page, this could be a Mutt and Jeff show. More than protecting Gaborik I think Brashear will be protecting Avery.
If Brashear doesn’t work and you want to restrict his replacements to those of high character, there’s always Chris Simon.
Great points! And while I understand that Brashear is a “necessary” evil, it’s too bad that hockey has to have a side shows like Brashear, Roy and Simon.
I can’t wait to see how the MSG spin machine turns Brashear into a “character” guy.
That’s entertainment, I suppose.