Well, stud winger Dany Heatley was almost a Ranger, but in the end it appears he will be a quasi-Ranger (also known as an "Edmonton Oiler.")
TSN is reporting that Heatley has been asked to waive his no trade clause in a trade that would involve:
- Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid, and Dustin Penner
At face value, this seems like a surprising move for the Oilers as they are sacrificing two youthful players and a once-potent scorer for a head case in Heatley.
However, what must now be recognized is GM Glen Sather's unwillingness to part with youth. Ottawa wanted Brandon Dubinsky and another young player and Sather wouldn't budge, a nice change from the past decade.
Now, the Rangers have considerable cap space to pursue a player like Vinny Lecavalier or perhaps a free agent such as Marian Gaborik or Marian Hossa.
Unfortunately, that came at the expense of a good guy in Scott Gomez who truly enjoyed being a Ranger.
More in the morning as noon begins unrestricted free agency...
