Just last week Sports Illustrated quoted no less than Wayne Gretzky on his former coach/GM and the Rangers’ current GM/coach, Glen Sather:
“Deep down I think [Sather's] disillusioned at what he’s spent,” the Great One told SI, referring to the Rangers’ payroll. “I think it’s killing him.”
Well either Gretzky doesn’t know Sather as well as he thought, or Sather is trying to kill himself.
The Rangers picked-up Alexei Kovalev.
The Rangers gave up role-players Mikael Samuelsson, Rico Fata, Joel Bouchard and Richard Lintner. Oh yeah. And $4 million (although no one will admit that). They got right-winger Dan LaCouture and defensemen Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson from the Penguins. Oh yeah. And Alexei Kovalev.
So basically the Rangers got a great player, from a division rival no less, without giving up anything besides cash. It’s quite a deal.
As a Ranger fan, it’s exciting to think about Kovalev on Broadway. But let’s be honest. We all know what happens to star players when they come to the Rangers. And to make matters worse, this will be Kovalev’s second stint with the Rangers. His first tour of duty, from 1992 to 1998, ended with Kovalev being traded for current Ranger Petr Nedved. The reason for the trade? The Rangers just didn’t like Kovalev and felt he was underperforming (racking up 275 points in 402 games), which it turns out he was.
But maybe Kovalev will like playing in New York this time.
Another problem with Kovalev coming to New York is the Rangers’ defensive scheme. They don’t have one. And Kovalev isn’t known for playing systems (which is part of the reason the Rangers traded him) or defense. So the rest of the team will have to work harder to compensate for him. And they haven’t really been able to compensate for themselves for most of the season (check out their penalty kill situation). When/if Pavel Bure returns to the line-up, they’ll have two forwards who don’t play back. Making matters worse, their defensemen aren’t much better. Tom Poti, Brian Leetch, and Darius Kasparaitis are not known for their positional playing. So basically, by taking Kovalev, the Rangers are giving up on defense.
The Penguins were trading defenseman back and forth all week. Their Ranger acquisitions are all solid players, but nothing too exciting. Although to the Penguins, shedding payroll is exciting.
But Kovalev’s return to New York is very exciting. Whether he maintains his fine Pittsburgh form or whether he implodes, like so many Rangers do, it’ll definitely be great to watch. The Rangers can’t make the playoffs, but they sure do know how to put on a good show.

Related posts:

1. Kovalev Kostsalot ...
2. “I Need a Price Check on Kovalev” ...
3. “I Need a Price Check on Kovalev” ...
4. “I Need a Price Check on Kovalev” ...
5. Bure Returns ...