IMPLOSION 2001
As you sit back and watch the Rangers flounder through another lost season, you have to wonder where they fall in terms of the sports world. While they are not quite the star-crossed franchise like the Boston Red Sox or the Chicago Cubs, they are damn close.

The Rangers from the 1990's up until the present fit nicely into the Black Sabbath genre, as in "They Sold Their Soul for Lord Stanley." And while Ranger fans everywhere felt the burden of 1940 lifted on that June night in 1994, their shoulders are sagging heavily from the weight of poor management, poor personnel decisions and some players whos' efforts weren't worth the paper their checks were printed on.

What's even more distressing is the failure of Ranger brass to see a fine example of a franchise policy turnaround. In a neighboring borough no less. I am talking about the New York Yankees.

Yankee fans know the pain of poor management, bad free agent signings and the inexplicable stifling and subsequent trades of its youth. Even Frank Costanza on Seinfeld made reference to Yankee bumblings. (How could you trade Jay Buhner??!!)

Finally when George Steinbrenner's top brass convinced him that his knee-jerk reactions and band-aid fixes were hurting the Yankee's chances of being a winner, a whole new policy went into effect.

They drafted wisely, developed the talent and made them a part of the Yankee foundation. They resisted quick fix trades and unloaded underachievers with bloated contracts.

Now they are a dynasty, winning four of the last five World Series, the last three in a row. Who is at the core of this team? All homegrown talent: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte.

It's true that the Yankees have scooped up a lot of free agent talent along the way, but this was an addition to their core talent, not a subtraction from it. The Yankees also have a lot of talent waiting in the wings for their shot at the brass ring.

Can the Rangers follow the Yankees lead and build a dynasty? They absolutely can. There are a few games left in the season, but after the Rangers lame effort against Detroit to cement a fourth consecutive non-playoff year, we'll just forgo the rest of this season and focus on what the Rangers need to do for next season. Here is a player by player analysis of who should stay, who should go and who should be brought in.

Will Pavel Brendl be a Ranger next year?

THE KEEPERS

Brian Leetch - Still one of the top three offensive blueliners in the league. His play at the beginning of the season was vintage Leetch. Not surprisingly, he burned out logging insane minutes. Seemed to be on the ice for every goal against, but that's because he was out on the ice in every situation. Throw in that no-trade clause and Leetch stays.

Radek Dvorak - He has proved to be the most valuable player on the Czech line. Dvorak's speed makes him a constant threat and makes him dangerous on the penalty kill. Looks like a good match on Messier's right side. He is a keeper.

Michal Grosek - Started to show some promise towards the end of the season. Unfortunately, he is terribly inconsistent. The best case scenario is he becomes a power forward a la Chris Simon. Otherwise, the Rangers hope he plays well enough to be traded for someone useful.

Kirk McLean - Until and if Mike Richter comes back, McLean has a job. Even if Richter comes back strong, look for Hebert to be traded or released. McLean has flourished in a back-up role while Hebert would be extremely unhappy as a second banana.

Mike York - One of the Ranger's most consistent forwards all year. One of the few Rangers that brought intensity and heart every night. Plays well five on five and on the penalty kill. Has great hands. Should be a Ranger staple for years to come.

Tomas Kloucek - A glimpse into the future of the blueline. Kloucek could be the Jeff Beukeboom of the 21st century. He's mean, he hits, he skates well and best of all: he's 20 years old. Another brick in the Ranger foundation.

Kim Johnsson - Has been very erratic, but he is a diamond in the rough. He has looked better with more youth and speed in the lineup. He skates well and is learning to join the rush and be the late man effectively. Tap into a nasty streak for this guy and he's another brick in the wall.

Peter Smrek - OK, so maybe some of the Ranger announcers have gushed a little too much about Smrek, but so what? Finally, the Rangers have unloaded a spare part (Alexei Gusarov) and received a young, skilled defenseman in return. He needs to play - a lot - on the NHL level.

Sandy McCarthy - Aside from Mike York, might have been the most consistent Ranger all year. He finished his checks, showed he can make plays and scored some goals. While that was all good, he failed in the policeman role. Too many opponents took physical liberties with the Rangers and to put it bluntly, McCarthy didn't beat enough of them down. The Rangers need McCarthy to fire up that mean streak.

Manny Malhotra - Finally got some game time. He has not been the outstanding offensive talent most thought he would be. Conversion to left wing is a great move. He has the outside speed to back in a defense. Has shown toughness and grit in the corners and on the wall, something severely lacking in most Ranger players.

Mark Messier - Let's cut to the chase: The captain needs to play less minutes, roughly 15-17 minutes a game to be effective. Messier still has some wheels and passes very well, but his defensive liabilities cannot be overlooked. He just does not hold his checks in the defensive zone. His real value, besides his leadership and experience, comes on the power play and as a part-time penalty killer, but his even strength play needs to be reduced.

Jeff Ulmer - Liked what we saw of this guy in some limited action, even if he is a little undersized. Seemed to be one of the few Rangers interested in getting his nose dirty in front of the net. Given some time to develop, this guy could be a free agent coup. He's got a fire in his belly.

Mike Mottau - The heir apparent to Leetch on the blueline. Anyone who saw the no-look pass he threw to Leetch for a goal in a game against Washington realized this guy has skills you can't teach. He is small in terms of defensemen, but with the proper development, this guy can be phenomenal.

ON THE FENCE

Brad Brown - A bruising defenseman who could earn a spot by dropping his gloves. The jury is still out on his defensive skills. He's only 25, so it would pay to give him more time to develop.

Dale Purinton - Another bruiser who's not afraid to drop the gloves. The jury is still out on his defensive play as well. Seems to fit best right now as an insurance policy.

Colin Forbes - A big forward that could be useful, but he will have to do more than drop the gloves to remain a Ranger. He needs to tailor his game like McCarthy's and add the edge. That will keep him on the fourth line.

COULD BE MORE VALUABLE IN A TRADE

Vladimir Malakhov - His knee injury was the beginning of a bad year for the Rangers. Never got to see how he would play in New York. It's great that the Rangers have a few young defenseman, but they need to mix in a few veterans to stabilize the back line. Malakhov can help the power play with his cannon shot and the breakout plays with his fine passing. Then, maybe he can bring a good player back to the Rangers in a trade. Of course, the question always remains: Which Malakhov will the Rangers get in 2001-02? The dominant player or the underachiever?

Jan Hlavac - A good player in the midst of a terrible slump right now, which has coincided with Dvorak being moved off the Czech line. He has good puckhandling and skating skills, but seems too dependent on his Czech-mates. His name has surfaced in the Mike Peca derby. If Peca is to be had, it's bye-bye Jan.

Tim Taylor - A good defensive minded center that wins faceoffs. Unfortunately, he has little to no role on the Rangers. His injury prevented the Rangers from trading him. If he is not moved early in the season by the Rangers, look for him to play a lot near the deadline and be moved then.

Petr Nedved - A look at Nedved's stats and you would say that he had a good year for a bad team. What's troubling about Nedved is the little things. The lost battles for loose pucks. The perimeter play. The boston turns into the corner instead of driving to the net. The cannon wrist shot that goes wide way too often. Hey, if we're going to be a slave to the stats, find a GM in the league that feels the same way and get some quality in return for Nedved.

Guy Hebert - The odd man out when and if Mike Richter makes it back. Hebert has been a top dog too long to ride the pine in New York. If New York brass deems Richter to be healthy, look for them to move Hebert.

Adam Graves - Has struggled tremendously on and off the ice this year. Gravy was mentioned in a couple of trades at the deadline that didn't pan out. While Gravy has been a true blue Ranger, management can only hope he returns to anywhere near his top form or plays well enough to bring something back in a trade.

GONE

Valeri Kamensky - Of all the Ranger unrestricted free agent acquisitions, this was sadly the worst. (Wait, make that the second worst behind Stephane Quintal.) Kamensky couldn't get anything to go right in New York. His biggest flaw was holding the puck too long and giving it away with no threat of offense. Still, he has been a classy guy and a great player for many years, so in fairness, the Rangers should release him gracefully.

Sylvain Lefebvre - Do whatever it takes to get this guy out of town. Anytime coaches have to pull aside (and then bench) an NHL veteran and ask him to start playing physical, it's time to cut the cord.

Rich Pilon - Has resembled a pylon at times. Fortunately, the Rangers didn't give up anything for Pilon, and if not for his porous play, he would have been traded to Washington. His giveaways late in the season against Pittsburgh pretty much summed up his year.

BIG QUESTION MARKS

Mike Richter - Two major knee injuries in two years spells giant uncertainty in Ranger Land. He was basically a St Louis Blue before he got hurt and it must pain management to miss out on what the Blues would have parted with for Richter's services. Richter has an incredible work ethic, so he will be back, but how he will play is unknown. Unless he makes a miraculous recovery or one of the young goalies steps up, he will be a Ranger through next season.

Theo Fleury - After a dismal first year with the Rangers, Fleury rebounded and was, with Leetch, the best Ranger in the early part of the year. Sadly, he is in rehab now. While we root for Fleury's recovery, the Rangers had better crack the whip on this guy. If he's going to collect 50 million from the Rangers, he had better be a model citizen for the rest of his contract. If he can re-create this years' numbers, he still could bring back some quality talent in a trade.

Jamie Lundmark - Throw this guy in the fire and see what happens. At least let him start the season with the big club and see how he performs. If he plays well, he stays. If he doesn't, he gets sent back to the minors after having a taste of the big time. If that doesn't motivate him to make it back sooner than later, nothing will.

Pavel Brendl - See Jamie Lundmark

AVAILABLE PLAYERS/FREE AGENTS

Mike Peca - Sabre GM Darcy Regier shocked many people by holding Peca when he could have traded him for a run at the Cup. Regier claimed the offers he received for Peca were weak. If he is available, the Rangers should make a serious run at him. He's got the talent and youth on his side and the Rangers have the money to invest.

Doug Weight - Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that Oiler forward Mike Comrie could earn 5.5 million next year from the cash-challenged franchise, thus making it a possibility center Doug Weight could be traded. It would be interesting to see what it would take to get Weight back in New York.

Alexei Yashin - Would Alexei be able to handle the bright lights and the big city? Well, at least he'd like the paycheck. The Rangers would be smart to let this one pass them by. Yashin does not make them a Cup contender and the potential headaches are not worth the risk.

Chris Phillips - This is the guy the Rangers should set their sites on. A young, bruising defenseman with two seasons of NHL experience. It would be a major pick-up for the Blueshirts.

Joe Sakic - It's too late for Sakic to work any magic in New York. St. Louis is hot for Sakic, so logic would say if he bolts Colorado, it's for teams, like St. Louis, with a shot at the Stanley Cup.

Rob Blake - Great player, but just doesn't fit into the grand plans of the Rangers. Besides, he has his heart set on Toronto.

Martin LaPointe - The kind of gritty, hard nosed player every team needs. However, it doesn't make sense to add LaPointe at this time. He would command too much money for a role player and he would be a better addition to a team closer to the Cup.

Eric Lindros - Forget it.