With Bob McKenzie of TSN, among others, reporting today that Aaron Voros has been put on waivers, I thought it would be fitting to look back at the trade the Rangers made on July 9, 2010.  New York traded Aaron “The People’s Champ” Voros and prospect Ryan Hillier to Anaheim in exchange for Steve Eminger. This was one of those under the radar type trades that few think much of when they happen, but sometimes mean a lot to a hockey club.

The thought process for Sather had to be that Voros had no role on the team and bringing in Eminger could potentially provide the Rangers with a stop-gap defender until some of their defensive prospects were ready.

A look at their numbers:

Eminger 49 GP 1G 3A -8 22PIM

Voros     12 GP 0G 0A -4 43PIM

If Eminger gave the Rangers anything it was going to be an easy win for the New York.  Obviously you can see that Voros has given the Ducks less than nothing, and has missed the last 21 games with an orbital bone fracture he sustained in a fight.  Nice to see Voros and Rick DiPietro have something in common.  Before someone asks, no the Rangers should not claim him, even if Boogaard is out for the year.  Players like Kris Newbury are more effective than Voros ever will be, so stay away.

On Eminger’s side of the ledger, despite scaring many of us, including myself, with his atrocious preseason that saw more injuries than quality play, Eminger has made himself a key cog for the young defense, turning it into a resounding victory for Sather.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how well Eminger has played over the totality of the season.  During a crucial part of the year, when Rozsival was first injured, it was Eminger who stepped in and filled that void very well.  I know for many Rangers fans it is easy to overlook that because it was just Rozsival, but at that point Rozi had been playing very good hockey for the club and having someone fill a top four role is not an easy task.

It would easy to focus on the fact that he has been scratched the last four games, but that for me is a product of other defenders rising and the Rangers trying to figure out what to do with Michael Del Zotto, then to Eminger himself.  There is no question there has been some slippage in the quality of Eminger’s play compared to early in the year, but his benching, for me, has been unjustified by performance overall.  I expect that Eminger will be back in the lineup for New York on Friday, and Del Zotto will likely be back in Hartford with the Whale

I find it reassuring to look back at this deal as the trade deadline approaches and see that Sather has done a very good job with trades the past few years.  Free agency for the most part is still awful, but feel confident as the deadline approaches that Sather will keep an eye on the big picture.

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