As everyone knows, Brad Richards is the hot-ticket free agent this season. And as everyone also knows, the New York Rangers are in on every big-time player who hits free agency. However, this season is different. Brad Richards fits the Rangers' needs entirely and it is Glen Sather's job to put Richards in a Rangers uniform for the coming season.
We all know how the past signings did not work out. How Scott Gomez disappointed for two years until being sent to Montreal, how Wade Redden failed to hold down an NHL job after a pair of seasons on Broadway, and how Chris Drury did not live up to expectations as a player or a captain. These signings have put a bad taste in the mouths of Rangers fans and has made everyone in Ranger-land deathly afraid of handing out another big contract.
This time, however, is much different.
Scott Gomez was a second-line center, at best, but the Rangers signed him to that massive deal to be the team's primary playmaker for Jaromir Jagr, a job he ultimately failed to do. Wade Redden's career was clearly trending down at the time of his signing with the Rangers. At the time, he was a second- or third-pair defenseman who was bein ...
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Article written by Zach Vanderberg
NHL Free Agency: Why the New York Rangers Must Sign Brad Richards at All Costs
June 11th, 2011 by Zach Vanderberg Leave a reply »
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