Let me start by saying this is my own theory and I appreciate the likelihood of this is remote at best. That doesn’t stop it being a good idea though. A few years ago the Rangers rocked the hockey world by signing two big name free agent centers in one day. Their names were Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. The idea was a bold one, an ambitious one but the flaw in the plan were the players involved. Neither were genuinely elite players or first line centers.

This summer, albeit in a different way, the Rangers could have an opportunity to do something similar but despite the similar opportunity the benefits would be potentially far greater. The Rangers should go after Brad Richards AND Paul Statsny. Why? Adding two elite centers not only makes this team unbelievably deep down the middle but it makes the team an immediate Stanley Cup contender. I believe it could be done without necessarily mortgaging the entire future. What it would take however is some bravery on the part of the franchise and some roster moves that would either be cutthroat (involving guys such as Drury, Wolski) or in the short term, unpopular (involving blue chip prospects).

Brad Richards and John Tortorella have a lot of respect for each other and the Rangers are rumoured to be courting Richards to address their woes. As most people know Richards will ‘only’ cost the Rangers dollars should he decide to link up with Tortorella once more. In New York, Richards gets the big stage he craves, the coach he loves and the opportunity to add to his impressive trophy list. In Richards the Rangers get an elite playmaker, a winner, a PP weapon and a player that addresses their biggest weaknesses at both PP point and at center. Brad Richards would likely invigorate Gaborik and allow players such as Anisimov and/or Stepan to slip into positions more befitting their current levels.

On to Paul Statsny. The Colorado Avalanche have had a terrible year, ruining the great year of development they had the previous season. They appear to be in rebuild mode as evidenced by their blockbuster move to acquire Erik Johnson which gave up Stewart and Shattenkirk. Colorado appears ready to embrace the rebuild focussing around young center Matt Duchene and Johnson. It’s in this rebuild the Rangers and Colorado can help each other. Colorado isn’t in a position to benefit from the luxury of two elite centers. The Rangers could be. The Rangers have several prospects, depth at the NHL level and picks that the Avalanche could sorely use. The Avalanche would be better served with a few young players and picks the Rangers could give them. Could a deal be win-win?

So how do the Rangers get Statsny and make the cap math work? This is where the difficult decisions come in. Assume a deal based around a first round pick, Dylan McIlrath and Artem Anisimov is the basis of any deal. Then add Brian Boyle and a second round pick and Mats Zuccarello. Yes, it may cost that much to get a guy like Statsny. You may even have to swap Zuccarello for a stud like Kreider. So why bother? Statsny’s an elite, young, American hockey player under lock and key at a reasonable price. Even if the deal cost that much it wouldn’t gut the roster – and that gutting hasn’t finished. To do this the Rangers would need to cut Chris Drury and perhaps Wolski. Are they willing to? They should be if it means getting two elite centers.

Subtracting Anisimov, Drury and Zuccarello subtracts $10(ish) million off the cap. It frees roster space and cap space in addition to the amount already free heading into the summer. It should be enough to allow the addition of the two centers and attend to the remaining restricted free agents. McIlrath and the picks don’t affect the immediate roster. Losing guys like Kreider and McIlrath may hurt; but the defense is (to an extent) set up long term, and Callahan, Gaborik and Dubinsky make wing less of an area of concern, especially with guys like Christian Thomas and maybe Carl Hagelin available. Boyle would be an unfortunate casualty necessary to make this happen. If it happened the Rangers wouldn’t ‘need’ Boyle anyway. Sorry Brian. So why do it? To an extent the East is wide open thanks to Bettman’s beloved parity. There is an opportunity to be had. The Rangers have the goaltending and they have the defense. They have depth. They have prospects ready to step up which would be cheap roster players for the short term.

Adding two centers of Statsny and Richards’ calibre gives the team skill and elite depth. Imagine the Rangers lined up against the Caps with the following two lines: Dubinsky and Gaborik centered by Richards and Stepan (yes, moved to the wing while he improves his face off proficiency) and Callahan centered by Paul Statsny. That my friends, is scary. If you have a third line featuring players like Prust, Fedotenko and Prospal you can see the depth the Rangers would still possess. Players like Wolski may also need to be a casualty so you can see that the amount of moves needed to do this makes it unlikely but think of the benefits. The powerplay would improve immeasurably. The skill level of the team would sky rocket. The core of the defense would be untouched by the moves. Lundqvist would benefit by the additional offense (and subsequent less pressure in his own zone). Face-offs would be much improved. Where are the downfalls? Personally, if it’s doable cap wise, the only downside I can see is the actual commitment in contracts (and associated risk) Statsny and Richards will require.

A team featuring both Statsny and Richards alongside Lundqvist, Gaborik, Staal and Callahan is a Cup contender. Getting them both doesn’t need to mean the end of developing one’s own. It also doesn’t mean a return to the Rangers of a decade ago which threw mud at a wall to see what stuck. What it is is making the right moves to compliment the good work of Sather and Tortorella in recent years – after all, the core is in place. The Rangers ‘window to win’ is approaching. They are building slowly towards it, sensibly. They can race towards it, race towards a cup by making a few moves that doesn’t put the health of the franchise at risk. Brad Richards isn’t Scott Gomez. Paul Statsny isn’t Chris Drury. These are elite players, genuine ones. Adding them both makes the Rangers SO much closer to a cup. Are you willing to wave goodbye to Kreider, Mcilrath, Boyle, Anisimov and a few picks to see another parade? I sure as hell am. Give it some thought. I hope Glen Sather does.

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