So, even though he’s now the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames, Maloney told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast this week “The Rangers are my roots. As much as I’ve worked for other teams along the way, I’m still a fan at heart.”

Like the rest of us, Maloney was surprised by the Rangers epic meltdown last season, one that ended with them becoming just the fourth team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy one season and fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs the next year.

Unlike the rest of us, though, the 66-year-old hockey lifer presented a unique factor that he believes played a part in the trainwreck of a season.

And surprisingly it centered on Glen Sather, who’s no longer even part of the Rangers organization after he stepped down from an advisory role with them in June 2024 — though that’s exactly the point, according to Maloney.

“You look at the Rangers team this past year and it’s good players, good team, came out of the gates as good as anybody,” Maloney explained. “But Glen’s no longer there, he left the team, and I think they missed him, having that senior voice to calm things down a little bit. When I look from a distance at the Rangers, I think that maybe had an impact in how the season went a little sideways last season.”

Before we wave off this theory, keep in mind that Maloney wasn’t saying Sather’s departure caused the team to collapse. Instead, Maloney believes that Sather’s presence, advice and experience would’ve been invaluable resources for general manager Chris Drury to tap into as he navigated a mess of his own making.

Place Barclay Goodrow on waivers to bypass his no-trade clause so that the San Jose Sharks can claim him, and not inform the respected veteran until moments before he landed on the waiver wire? Perhaps Sather could’ve counseled Drury on how to handle that better.

Let a potential trade hang over the head of your captain and infuriate the locker room? Have the name of the third-leading goal-scorer in franchise history publicly leaked in a trade memo to the other 31 teams?

Yes, perhaps Drury would’ve benefitted from having a Hockey Hall of Famer with 40 years of NHL front office experience to lean on — either to avoid such messes or, as importantly, how to handle the fallout before it became catastrophic, as did with the Rangers a year ago.

Related: Neil Smith delivers hilarious quip about K’Andre Miller $60 million contract with Hurricanes

Don Maloney believes Rangers missed ‘smart … insightful’ Glen Sather when times got rough

This is not to say Sather always made the right decisions in his roles as president and general manager of the Rangers, and before that, the Edmonton Oilers. Maloney knows that first-hand. After serving as assistant GM under Neil Smith, he filled the same role for the first seven seasons Sather was Rangers general manager.

Sather did, of course win six Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers, though Rangers fans will be quick to tell you he never won one with the Blueshirts. In fact, the Rangers reached only one Stanley Cup Final — in 2014 — under Sather’s watch.

But the thing is, Sather built great and lasting relationships on both sides of the aisle, so to speak. He was respected throughout the League by players, coaches, executives, owners and agents. The 81-year-old basically had been there, done that and seen it all over the course of his career.

“He’s a really good man. He’s one of those people that the more you get know him, the more you like him,” Maloney explained. “He’d come off a little rough at times, but really a smart man and insightful.”

Drury’s no dummy. But Maloney is on the mark thinking that Sather could’ve helped smooth out the rough edges that buried the GM and his team last season.

Listen to the full interview with Don Maloney or watch it on Forever Blueshirts YouTube

But on a recent episode of the Spittin Chiclets podcast, Keenan revealed that he came close to a second tour as Rangers coach eight years after winning the Cup.

According to Keenan, the Rangers reached out to him not long after he became coach of the Florida Panthers on Dec. 3, 2001. With the Panthers looking to trade star forward Pavel Bure, Keenan had trade discussions with the Rangers about Bure. And it’s during that time, Keenan said the Rangers tried to lure their championship-winning coach back to New York.

“Things got tight (in Florida), they weren’t drawing much (attendance) so [Panthers owner Alan Cohen] said ‘I gotta trade Pavel (Bure)’. Pavel at that time was making 10 million,” Keenan explained. “But anyway, my owner Alan Cohen would always come and sit in my office. So, I pick up the phone, it’s the New York Rangers. ‘Will you come and coach us’. He’s looking at me, he can probably hear. I hang up and he says ‘you’re not going anywhere’. I said ‘Alan, the team here, you just cut the budget by half, or more than half’. He says, ‘No. You’re not going.'”

And that was that. The Rangers didn’t land Keenan, but they did get Bure on March 18, 2002. Ron Low remained Rangers coach and they finished out of the playoffs with 80 points, 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Keenan and the Panthers didn’t fare much better and also missed the playoffs — not surprising considering the slashing of payroll and trading one of the great players in the sport. Keenan eventually became Panthers general manager and lasted until 2006 with the organization.

The Rangers went out and hired Bryan Trottier as coach for 2002-03. But that disastrous decision blew up by January when Trottier was fired after only 54 games. It was part of several dark years for the Rangers, when they missed the playoffs seven consecutive seasons.

Who knows if things would’ve been different if Keenan jumped from the Panthers to the Rangers. After his poor relationship with GM Neil Smith in 1993-94, Keenan would’ve worked for Glen Sather had he joined the Rangers in 2002.

It’s probably best for Keenan’s legacy with the Rangers that he was one-and-done, but forever a champion with the Blueshirts.

Related: Dave Maloney says Jacob Trouba was Rangers’ ‘spiritual leader’ before trade to Ducks

Mike Keenan reveals Flyers owner ‘absolutely hated’ Rangers

Keenan is the 15th all-time winningest coach in NHL history with 672 victories. He coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Panthers and Calgary Flames. He won the Stanley Cup only once despite being considered one of the great coaches of his era.

He had already achieved much success and acclaim before he joined the Rangers. In fact, Flyers owner Ed Snider tried to rectify having fired Keenan several years earlier when he tried to lure Keenan back in 1993.

“Mr. Snider invites me for breakfast, we’re having breakfast. ‘I want to talk to you about the team’ and so on.” Keenan, now 75, recounted on Spittin Chiclets. “He’s got a sports jacket on and he pulls out a five year deal in charge of player personnel and head coach. I said ‘Mr. Snider I can’t sign that right now.'”

Snider probably was stunned by that response. What happened shortly thereafter, though, infuriated him.

“So then I go and I end up now getting pursued by the New York Rangers and I sign a deal, the first to make a million and he never talked to me the rest of his life because he hated the New York Rangers. Absolutely hated the New York Rangers,” Keenan said.

The rest is history. Keenan took a talented team that collapsed and failed to make the playoffs in 1992-93, forced Smith to bring in players loyal to him and who could add bite to the Rangers roster, and helped the Rangers win their first Stanley Cup championship since 1940.

It became known that during the Cup run, Keenan was negotiating to become coach and GM of the Blues. It was a wild and crazy ride that ended in divorce not long after the ticker tape was cleaned up in New York City.

But at least there was good reason for that parade. “This one will last a lifetime.” Indeed.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, success stories with their coaches are not easy to come by in the 21st century, as the past 24 years are littered with more misses than hits. That comes with the territory when you haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1994.

The Rangers have had 10 different coaches since 2000. Here’s a complete ranking from best to worst.

Related: Only 1 other coach topped Peter Laviolette in 1st season with Rangers

Ranking Rangers coaches in 21st century

There have been 23 NHL seasons played since the turn of the century, with the 2004-05 season canceled by a lockout. The Rangers have made the playoffs 15 times since 2000, reaching the Eastern Conference Final five times and the Stanley Cup Final once, in 2014. Eight times they failed to reach the postseason.

Let’s breakdown the work of the Rangers coaches since 2000.

10. Bryan Trottier — 2002-03, 54 games, .454 PTS%

Bryan Trottier isn’t just the worst Rangers coach since 2000 — he’s got a strong case for the worst coach in franchise history.

General manager Glen Sather’s hiring of the New York Islanders legend drew the ire of both Islanders and Rangers fans, the latter of which was further aggravated by the on-ice product.

Trottier was in over his head from the start, unprepared and uncomfortable in the role, and was fired after just 54 games in 2002-03 with the Blueshirts posting a 21-26-6-1 record in that span. Opting to play within a defensive-focused neutral zone trap that limited the team’s scoring capabilities, he limited the offensive potential of Hall of Famers like Mark Messier, Eric Lindros, and Pavel Bure.

Lindros went from scoring 37 goals under a full season with coach Ron Low the year before to just 15 in 54 games with Trottier.

The Rangers played above .500 in the final 28 games under Sather, who replaced Trottier as coach, but still finished under .500 and fourth in the division and out of the playoffs. It was a bold move entrusting the reigns to Trottier, not just a rival legend but someone who had never been an NHL head coach before and would never get the opportunity again. It ended up being one of the worst moves in franchise history.

9. John Muckler — 1998-2000, 185 games, .451 PTS%

John Muckler’s tenure marks the downturn of the Rangers in the late 90s and the beginning of one of the worst periods in recent franchise memory. Taking over for Colin Campbell in 1998, Muckler lasted two and a half seasons, never once posting a .500 record before being replaced by assistant John Tortorella for the final four games of the 1999-2000 season.

Muckler’s .451 points percentage is the lowest of any Rangers coach since 2000. After the Rangers were 8-15-2 with Muckler at the helm to close out the 1997-98 season, the Rangers finished fourth in the five-team Atlantic Division in back-to-back seasons, culminating in the coach’being fired, along with Stanley Cup-winning general manager Neil Smith.

Enjoying success with the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres previously, Muckler was never able to translate it to a Rangers’ roster that had the highest payroll in the NHL and a number of big free-agent signings that didn’t quite pan out.

It’s likely not all the fault of the Stanley Cup champion that an aging roster failed to miss the playoffs in his two-and-a-half seasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that Muckler’s Rangers teams greatly underperformed expectations and simply were no good. Muckler never coached again in the NHL.

8. Glen Sather — 2003-04, 90 games, .467 PTS%

After failing to find the right fit with Trottier and Ron Low, Sather, who was the Rangers general manager, stepped into the coaching role himself, taking over for the fired Trottier and staying into the 2003-04 season before ultimately selecting Tom Renney as his replacement.

His success with the Wayne Gretzky-era Oilers, when he won four Stanley Cup championships as coach, didn’t carry over and despite finishing the first season with an 11-10-4-3 record after Trottier’s dismissal, the Blueshirts dipped back below .500 with Sather in 2003-04, playing to a 22-29-7-4 record in his 62 games as coach that season.

Sather’s stint as coach marked the end of the Rangers’ run with their aging core. In his role as GM, Sather traded away Rangers legend Brian Leetch, as well as big pieces like Alex Kovalev and Petr Nedved.

7. Ron Low — 2000-02, 164 games, .463 PTS%

Ron Low was the successor to Muckler, continuing a dark era of Rangers hockey as the Rangers finished fourth in the Atlantic twice more, missing the playoffs for the fourth and fifth straight seasons.

Low drew a resurgent 79-point season from the 32-year-old Leetch and got strong individual years from Theo Fleury, Nedved, and Lindros in his two seasons as coach, but it never reflected in a competitive record.

His 80-point season in 2001-02 ended up being the high point in the Blueshirts’ seven-year postseason drought that spanned from 1998-2004, so he settles in above Trottier, Muckler, and Sather, but it’s a low bar and not great company to keep. Just another former Oilers coach that faild on Broadway.

6. David Quinn — 2018-21, 208 games, .522 PTS%

David Quinn took over in the first full season following the release of The Letter by Sather, then team president, and GM Jeff Gorton, which informed fans about the Rangers intent to sell core pieces and begin a rebuild. Understandably, Quinn’s three seasons were rough since he bridged an ugly gap between the highly competitive mid-2010s teams and the current Rangers.

The Blueshirts finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division in his first two seasons, landing the No. 2 and No. 1 overall picks in consecutive seasons, despite showing real promise in 2019-20 and qualifying for the expanded 24-team postseason. A regression in 2020-21 led to his firing at the end of the season and concluded his Rangers tenure in dismal fashion.

Despite the lack of on-ice success from a team perspective, Quinn did facilitate important developments that paid dividends in future seasons.

Under Quinn, Adam Fox blossomed into a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, and K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren blossomed into core pieces. Igor Shesterkin took over as the No. 1 goalie, although the bulk of credit there goes to goaltender guru Benoit Allaire.

Mika Zibanejad enjoyed some excellent seasons under Quinn, who paired him with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich to great success. Quinn also notably paired Fox and Lindgren together, which has become an effective staple of the Blueshirts backend to this day.

Quinn left plenty to be desired with his development of young forwards and outlasted his welcome with his strict coaching style, but nonetheless helped set the foundation for the latest iterations of successful Rangers teams.

5. Gerard Gallant — 2021-23, 164 games, .662 PTS%

Gerard Gallant is the third most successful coach by points percentage in franchise history, his two-year tenure in New York leaves a tumultuous and complicated legacy.

Gallant succeeded where Quinn failed, taking the Rangers out of rebuilding purgatory and making them a certified contender with a 110-point season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final in his first year at the helm in 2021-22.

That season was a nice surprise, one that reframed expectations for the current squad. But the Blueshirts struggled to find their footing the following season. They still finished third in the Metropolitan Division with 107 points but failed to make the most of a star-studded roster, falling to the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs after blowing a 2-0 series lead.

Gallant leaned heavily on his veterans and did little to facilitate the development of young forwards like Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, and was criticized mightily for his lack of on-ice strategic adjustments, particularly in the postseason. His relationship with players, as well as GM Chris Drury, deteriorated, and he was fired despite back-to-back 100-point seasons.

4. Tom Renney — 2004-09, 327 games, .572 PTS%

Tom Renney helped the Rangers end a seven-year postseason drought, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in every season after officially assuming the head coaching role following the lockout.

Led by MVP-level play from Jaromir Jagr, who set franchise records with 54 goals and 123 points in 2005-06, and the emergence of Henrik Lundqvist as an elite No. 1 goaltender, the Rangers were once again a competitive team and finished with between 94 and 100 points from 2005 to 2009.

Renney was never able to get the Blueshirts past the second round of the playoffs and came under fire for his constant juggling of lines, particularly towards the end of his time in New York. He also received blame for his perceived misuse of Petr Prucha, who scored 30 goals in his rookie campaign but saw his production dip in the years to come as he failed to live up to his promising start.

Still, Renney brought the Rangers out of the longest postseason drought in franchise history and ushered in the Lundqvist era.

3. John Tortorella — 2000 / 2009-13, 319 games, .583 PTS%

The polarizing John Tortorella was — if nothing else — entertaining to watch on and off the ice. “You either love him or you hate him” is a phrase that applies better to few people in the hockey world than Torts.

But beyond his often edgy personality and spats with the media, Tortorella helped forge a tough and gritty identity for the Rangers, culminating in some very successful seasons in the early 2010s. With players like Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan, and Carl Hagelin coming into their own, the Blueshirts became one of the fiercest defensive teams to play against.

His high mark came in 2011-12 when the Rangers finished first in the Atlantic Division with 107 points and reached Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Devils. It remains a surprise to many that he didn’t win the Jack Adams Award for his work that season.

Tortorella is rightly criticized for his treatment of Marian Gaborik, who he pushed to be traded because he didn’t believe the talented wing could succeed in the playoffs. Gaborik would do just that in 2014, scoring a team-high 14 goals for the Los Angeles Kings en-route to the Stanley Cup championship, taking down his former team in the process.

His hard-nosed attitude and open criticism through the media likely wore off on the team by his final season and the Rangers ultimately had their best seasons after he was fired, but the identity he established was a good fit for New York and helped the development of numerous young pieces who became key players by the mid-2010s.

2. Peter Laviolette — 2023-present, 82 games, .695 PTS%

If Laviolette stepped down today, his .695 points percentage would be the highest in the Rangers’ 97-year history. Winning the Presidents’ Trophy with a franchise-record 55 wins and 114 points, Laviolette set a high bar in his first season.

The magical year ended in the Eastern Conference Final when the Blueshirts were outclassed in six games by the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Still, Laviolette was a refreshing change from Gallant, implementing rigorous but engaging practices and active strategic adjustments that routinely worked out.

On top of career years from Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, Laviolette entrusted Lafreniere with top-six minutes, allowing the former No. 1 overall pick to blossom with a 28-goal, 57-point season and an eight-goal postseason that breeds excitement for his future.

Whether or not he can get the Blueshirts over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Final remains to be seen, but Laviolette has quickly ingratiated himself with Rangers fans after his inaugural season.

1. Alain Vigneault — 2013-2018, 410 games, .596 PTS%, 1 SCF appearance

It’s hard to argue for anyone over Alain Vigneault considering the Rangers lone appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 1994 came during his tenure.

After finishing second in the Metro with 96 points, Vigneault took the Blueshirts to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final in his first season, falling to the Kings in five games. The following season, the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy with a then-franchise record 113-point season, this time losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final after crucial injuries to Mats Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh.

Despite two more 100-point seasons, the Rangers would not return to the conference final, losing in the first and second round the next two years before missing the playoffs entirely and finishing dead last in the division in his fifth and final season, after the Rangers traded McDonagh, J.T. Miller, and Rick Nash among others ahead of the deadline.

Like many of the coaches on this list, the ending was not pretty for Vigneault, who struggled with the handling of young talent and was reluctant to entrust players like Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Buchnevich with ice time despite the fact that the team needed to become more reliant on their young guns.

But nevertheless, he finished with 226 wins, third-most in Rangers history, and remains the only coach to lead the Blueshirts to a Stanley Cup Final since Mike Keenan did so in 1994.

Most recently, the 80-year-old was the senior advisor to team owner James Dolan and was the Rangers alternate governor. His Hall-of-Fame career reached six decades, starting as a player, then coach, and front office executive.

“Having the opportunity to be associated with the National Hockey League, and specifically the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers, has been one of the great privileges of my life,” Sather said in a statement. “I want to thank Jim Dolan for giving me the chance to work for the Rangers 24 years ago and for his consistent guidance and friendship. I want to thank everyone in the Rangers organization for their dedication and pursuit of excellence throughout the years, as well as the family atmosphere they helped create. I would also like to thank the great Rangers fans for their passion and loyalty. This experience is something I will always treasure.”

Congratulations Glen on an illustrious Hall of Fame Career. Thank you for all your contributions to the #NYR organization. 

More info: https://t.co/mIP1RF4wer pic.twitter.com/uoyBrnbfqi

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 26, 2024

Sather replaced Neil Smith as president and general manager in 2000. Despite some lean years to start, he was part of one of the most successful stretches in Rangers history, when they reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times in a 12-year span, beginning in 2005-06. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, Sather continued his incredible career by overseeing 1,114 games as New York’s general manager before stepping aside for his assistant Jeff Gorton to take over in 2015.

During his 14 seasons as general manager, Sather earned more wins (556) and held the position for more games (1,114) than any other GM in franchise history.

Sather was also a huge part of the Oilers dynasty, which lasted from 1983-1990, when he helped them win the Stanley Cups five times in seven years as GM, and the first four as coach.

Related: After Colin Campbell, these Rangers most likely to make Hockey Hall of Fame

Glen Sather retires from Rangers, NHL

The Rangers reached the Stanley Cup once with Sather as GM, in 2014, when they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. They also reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2012, losing in six games to the New Jersey Devils.

Sather remained part of the organization, helping Gorton and then current president and general manager Chris Drury in their roles. He was a big part of “The Letter” in 2018, which outlined New York’s rebuild plan in an honest and straightforward way to its fans.

“From the time he joined the Rangers organization 24 years ago, Glen Sather has been the consummate professional,” Dolan said. “I am thankful for the friendship that Glen and I have had over these many years and for the success he helped bring the Rangers franchise during his tenure. Glen, Ann, and his family will always be a part of the Rangers and Madison Square Garden family, and I wish them all the best in the years ahead.”

Sather was also lauded by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“The National Hockey League congratulates Glen Sather on his retirement and salutes him for his legendary career,” Bettman said in a League statement. “Glen enjoyed a remarkable six-decade career as a player, coach, general manager and executive that earned him election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. Whether with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s, the contending New York Rangers clubs of recent years or various iterations of Team Canada, Sather always showed a keen eye for elite talent and a deft touch for bringing out its best.”

Drury is following in the same footsteps as Sather. After playing for the Rangers as a part of his illustrious NHL career, he is now working in the front office, trying to capture that elusive Stanley Cup.

“I would like to congratulate Glen on his tremendous career,” Drury said. “I will forever be grateful to Glen for giving me the opportunity to play for the Rangers, and I was so fortunate to lean on him for guidance as I began my own career in the front office. I wish Glen – along with Ann and the entire Sather family – best of luck in the next chapter of their lives.”

Sather is 31st all-time on the NHL wins list for coaches with 497. Most of those came with the Oilers, but he also stepped in to coach the Rangers for 90 games in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, winning 33.

He had 724 penalty minutes in 658 NHL games as a rugged defenseman. Sather suited upo for the Rangers for all or parts of three seasons from 1971 to 1974.

It is the end of a long, and largely positive era, in Rangers history. Sather became a Rangers staple, with his trademark stogie, and helped bring success back to the franchise.

There were some difficult trades to swallow after the announcement, however. Popular players like Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, and Nick Holden were all shipped out for the supposed building blocks of the next great Rangers team.

The following season, Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid, along with Jimmy Vesey and Cody McLeod, were dealt away in the second installment of the Rangers rebuild.

In a city that demands excellence, rebuilding seemed like the worst possible idea for Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton. After their press conference and the execution of several trades that saw the 2017-2018 roster torn apart, it seemed like many years of dark times were on the horizon in New York.

Related: Rangers disinterest in trading 2024 top pick has ‘zero validity’: report

Rangers rebuild paid off quicker than expected after “The Letter” was released in 2018

Surprisingly, the Rangers were able to make a very quick turnaround. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2018 and 2019, losing in the COVID play-in in 2020, and narrowly missing in 2021, the Blueshirts finally got back on track. They seemed to go through an entire rebuild in about four years, impressive considering other teams seem to have been rebuilding for a decade now.

It is hard to say whether this was entirely due to “The Letter” and the rebuild itself. The results of many trades were mixed. But the building of the current Rangers team must be considered a success.

The Rangers did miss out with several top draft picks after “The Letter.” Selecting players like Lias Andersson, Vitali Kravtsov and Nils Lundkvist didn’t work out, seeing as they never reached their potential with the Rangers. Many young players had a hard time developing under coaches David Quinn and Gerard Gallant, looking at the players the Rangers could have drafted in many cases stings for sure. Some of the alternatives that were still on the board have made a big impact in the NHL.

That being said, the fire sale of 2018 and 2019 did provide some solid pieces that the Rangers still currently have. They acquired Ryan Lindgren as part of the Rick Nash deal with the Boston Bruins. Through draft picks, New York was able to select Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and K’Andre Miller. They also selected Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle. Each of these young and promising players have impacted the current roster in their own way.

Also, as a result of the rebuild, the Rangers had the available salary cap space to bring in Artemi Panarin, who’s on the short list of best NHL players since arriving on Broadway in 2019. Add Adam Fox into the mix, develop Igor Shesterkin to be Henrik Lundqvist’s heir apparent and follow the trade trees down to the addition of current captain Jacob Trouba, and the Rangers found themselves playing in the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, just four seasons after “The Letter”.

The 2021-22 playoff run was a special one for the Rangers. After being down three games to one and coming back to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime of Game 7, everyone could feel that something special was happening. That OT goal by Panarin will go down as one of the most electric moments in recent Madison Square Garden history.

After defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games in the second round and taking a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers ran out of steam, losing in six to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Following that playoff run with a strong season in 2022-23 was important, and the Rangers managed to do just that. However, blowing another two-game series lead in the very first round of the playoffs sent a shock through the entire Rangers organization and brought an end to Gallant’s tenure.

Now, with Peter Laviolette at the helm, the Rangers are once again embarking on their quest for the Stanley Cup that has eluded them for 30 years. While they were ever so close in 2012, 2014, and 2015, the rebuild was necessary. The aging roster was no longer going to compete for a championship, and moves needed to be made.

Six years after “The Letter,” the Rangers are now equipped with a young, talented, and exciting roster that is among the best in the NHL. Granted their ups and downs, the building blocks put in place by the rebuild of 2018 have the chance to show that it was a necessary sacrifice.

After years of “going for it” at the expense of draft picks and prospects, then-general manager Jeff Gorton pivoted to what amounted to a rebuild.

Rewind a decade and a half earlier, and then-GM Glen Sather had a similar approach to an aging roster going nowhere, leading to the first great sell off in modern Rangers history.

As we approach the 20-year anniversary of the 2004 trade deadline, how did things turn out? Simply put: not well.

Sather made an astounding nine trades between March 2 and 9, sending out everything from aging veterans and depth players to picks and prospects, all in an attempt to retool a franchise on its way to missing the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

Let’s examine each trade in chronological order and see what was left after Sather’s March Madness.

Related: What could have been had Rangers not drafted Lias Andersson, Vitali Kravtsov

Revisiting Rangers’ doomed 2004 NHL trade deadline

March 2, 2004: Alexei Kovalev to Montreal Canadiens for Jozef Balej and 2004 second-round pick (Bruce Graham)

Do you remember Jozef Balej? Bruce Graham? See, not off to a good start.

Kovalev’s second stint with the Rangers wasn’t as productive or long as his first, which, of course, included the 1994 Stanley Cup championship. This one lasted just 13 months without a postseason appearance following a February 2003 trade brought him back from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kovalev tallied 23 goals and 55 points in 90 games with the Rangers before the forward was shipped to Montreal for Balej and the second-round pick.

Balej, then 21, had five points in 13 games as a Ranger for the remainder of the season. The forward spent all of 2004-05 with Hartford of the American Hockey League before he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Fedor Fedorov just before the start of the 2005-06 season. Graham, meanwhile, never played in the NHL.

March 3, 2004: Brian Leetch and conditional draft pick (Edmonton’s 2004 fourth-round pick – Roman Kukumberg) to Toronto Maple Leafs for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, 2004 first-round pick (later traded), and 2005 second-round pick (Michael Sauer)

This hurts on two fronts: trading away arguably the greatest player in franchise history and not having much to show for it.

Leetch was in his 17th season as a Ranger and had really done it all. He was a Calder Trophy winner, a two-time Norris recipient, a Conn Smythe award winner and a Stanley Cup champion. He certainly earned the right to remain a Ranger if he wanted to, right? Right?

"He's just an incredible player. He was magic to play with."
– Mark Messier

Calder Memorial Trophy winner, 2x Norris Trophy winner, first American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, Stanley Cup Champion, HHOF Inductee and forever a Ranger. #NHLAlumni Brian Leetch@NYRangers pic.twitter.com/b7j8TYOP2L

— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) December 9, 2020

Nope. Sather traded the then 35-year-old to Toronto days before the deadline for a large, if not spectacular, return.

Kondratiev was a 21-year-old blueliner who had appeared in seven games with the Maple Leafs that season but spent most of his time in the American Hockey League. He’d get 29 games with the Rangers during 2005-06, amassing three points before getting shipped to Anaheim in January.

Immonen, a former eighth-round pick, appeared in just 20 NHL games, all with the Rangers, scoring three goals and eight points. When his contract expired, he headed back to Europe and spent a majority of his time in the KHL.

The Rangers traded up in 2004, using the pick from Toronto to swap with Calgary to select Lauri Korpikoski. The forward played 68 games with the Rangers and 609 total in the NHL.

The 2005 choice was used to select defenseman Michael Sauer, who was turning into a strong shutdown blueliner with the Rangers when his career was tragically cut short by a concussion just 19 games into the 2011-12 season. 

It’s impossible to know what Sauer would have become, but his hockey ending just adds salt to the wound on what could be described as one of the worst trades during the Sather era.

Petr Nedved and Jussi Markkanen to Edmonton Oilers for Dwight Helminen, Steve Valiquette, and 2004 second-round pick (Dane Byers)

We’ve covered this trade in more depth when looking at the Czech Line trade tree, but like the last two, not a whole lot was added to the organization with the departure of Nedved outside of goalie Steve Valiquette, who was a decent backup to Henrik Lundqvist and is still around the team as a studio host on MSG Network.

Helminen and Byers combined for one NHL game. Enough said.

March 6, 2004: Chris Simon and 2004 seventh-round pick (Matt Schneider) to Calgary Flames for Blair Betts, Greg Moore, and Jamie McLennan

Tough guy Chris Simon is more often remembered around these parts as an Islanders, who tried to decapitate Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in a game on Long Island.

But Simon did spend 65 mildly-productive games with the Rangers in 2003-04, scoring 14 goals and 23 points to go along with an 225 PIM. It wasn’t enough to keep him in the Big Apple.

The 23-year-old Greg Moore gave the Rangers an impressive six games, two more than the netminder Jamie McLennan.

But Betts turned into a fine depth center during the post-lockout Tom Renney teams. His offensive output was non-existent, but his defensive game was especially strong, and he became one of the League’s best shot-blockers in the late 2000s. He spent four seasons with the Rangers before finishing his career with the Flyers.

March 8, 2004: Vladimir Malakhov to Philadelphia Flyers for Rick Kozak and 2005 second-round pick (later traded)

Defenseman Vladimir Malakhov was on the wrong side of 30 when he signed as a UFA with the Rangers in the summer of 2000 after stops on Long Island, Montreal and New Jersey.

An injury limited him to just three games his first season with the Rangers, and he didn’t crack 30 points in either of his two full seasons with the club, so he was dealt to the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Rick Kozak was a third-round pick the year prior, but never made it to the NHL. The second-round selection was part of a trade New York made to move up in 2005 draft to select Marc Staal with the No. 12 overall pick.

So, not all bad?

Related: Rangers need to pull off another big deal ahead of 2024 NHL trade deadline

Matthew Barnaby and 2004 third-round pick (Denis Parshin) to Colorado Avalanche for David Liffiton, Chris McAllister, and Florida’s 2004 second-round pick (later traded)

If you’re of a certain age, you love Matthew Barnaby. A scrappy, undersized player who wasn’t scared of anyone, he was a player you hated until he was on your team.

And despite his reputation as a pugilist, Barnaby had some pop offensively. He scored 34 goals and 89 points in 196 games during some of the worst seasons in Rangers history.

So did the Rangers flip Barnaby for assets down the road? Not exactly.

David Liffiton and Chris McAllister combined for one assist in 15 games with the Rangers, and the Blueshirts traded the second-round selection.

March 9, 2004: Greg de Vries to Ottawa Senators for Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux

Defenseman Greg de Vries signed with the Rangers in the summer of 2003 and was out the door by March. The Stanley Cup champion in Colorado had three goals and 15 points in 53 games as a Ranger before finding his way to Ottawa.

Karel Rachunek had a decent year-plus with the Rangers, scoring seven goals and 30 points from the blueline before signing with the Devils after the 2006-07 season. 

Alexandre Giroux did not have the same success Claude (no relation) did in the NHL, and appeared in just one game with the Rangers.

Martin Rucinsky to Vancouver Canucks for Martin Grenier and R.J. Umberger

Martin Rucinsky is in elite company as a player who had three separate stints with the Rangers. His second tour of duty was fairly productive. He had 13 goals and 42 points in 69 games.

But Rucinsky was traded to Vancouver for Martin Grenier and R.J. Umberger. Grenier never played for the Rangers. Umberger also never wore the Blueshirt, though the forward did play 779 games with the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fear not, though, Rucinsky returned for his third and final act on Broadway the following season in 2005-06, when he scored 12 goals and 33 points in 52 games.

Paul Healey to Florida Panthers for Jeff Paul

We forgive you if you don’t remember this blockbuster.

Healey, 28 at the time, appeared in four games for the Rangers that season before heading to Florida for Jeff Paul, who never played a game for them and finished his career with just two games of NHL experience.

The verdict on Rangers deals ahead of 2004 NHL trade deadline

It’s nearly impossible to spin the 2004 trade deadline as any type of success for Sather and the Rangers. If you want to zoom out further, yes a pick they received got flipped to acquire Staal. Players like Betts and Valiquette were fine in the moment, but didn’t move the needle in any way.

The outlier of course is Sauer. We’ll never know what he could have been, but even with the rosiest outlook, him being the best return for trading a Rangers legend is a difficult pill to swallow.

In total, the Rangers shipped out 10 players in nine trades over a seven-day span. The results did next to nothing outside of free roster space. No one acquired played much of any role in the team’s renaissance that would begin during the 2005-06 season thanks — almost exclusively — to the success of Jaromir Jagr and a young Swedish goaltender named Henrik Lundqvist.

The 2004 sell off walked so the 2018 version could run … or at least walk a little faster.

And it came straight from the horse’s mouth.

Rangers Rumors: No Mike Sullivan

Sullivan, 55, told the NY Post that he wasn’t leaving the Penguins on Wednesday.

“No, I am under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, here for the long haul,” he said over the phone.

NY Post

It isn’t surprising that Sullivan wanted to set the record straight since the idea came from Post reporter Larry Brooks. In a recent article, he wrote that a Leafs elimination could lead to a complete housecleaning in Toronto. The Pens are looking for a GM and Kyle Dubas would’ve been their top candidate. His hiring may have led to Sheldon Keefe coaching the team making Sullivan available.

Since that story ran, Dubas told the press he’s either back with the Leafs or taking a break.

Sullivan has a record of 407-253-15 over 10 seasons split between the Bruins and Penguins. He’s won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh (2016 and 2017) and has a playoff record of 47-42.

The Rangers coaching search goes on.

Not everyone was interested in Mike Babcock

One name mentioned in the Rangers coaching search that has drawn the ire of fans is Mike Babcock. Despite the 60 year-old bench boss having won a Cup with the Detroit Red Wings back in 2008, his harsh tactics to motivate players was a factor in his 2019 dismissal from Toronto and subsequent inability to land a new gig.

Multiple reports stated that the Blueshirts made several calls either to or about Babcock. Elliotte Friedman updated the situation on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast.

“Not everyone in the Rangers organization wanted to do Babcock,” Friedman said. “But I think there were some who wanted to pursue it.”

This little piece of information is extremely intriguing to me. Who wanted to look into Babcock as a potential hire? If it wasn’t President and General Manager Chris Drury, then who above him made the call?

Based on a logical organizational chart, only owner James Dolan would be able to authorize it. Which likely means Glen Sather, who remains with the Rangers in an advisory role to Dolan, played a part here.

It was noted in The Athletic after John Davidson and Jeff Gorton were fired that Sather had a hand it that.

While many believed the Tom Wilson incident triggered the dismissals, it was already decided before that ever happened to let them go. That’s why neither of them were made privy to the letter regarding the incompetence of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety leading to a hefty fine.

Sather, 79, stepped down at the team’s GM in 2015 but remained president. He eventually “retired” in 2019 and has been Dolan’s advisor ever since.

“Glen is not allowed to leave,” Dolan told the NY Post in 2015. “No, seriously, he can’t leave until we win the Cup. He’s agreed to that.”

Well, the Rangers haven’t won a Cup since Sather joined the organization after Neil Smith was fired in 2000.

For an owner that everyone feels is quick to make knee-jerk decisions, his loyalty to Sather is remarkable.

I wrote after the Rangers changed course from the 2018 rebuild by firing Gorton to expedite matters that both Sather and Dolan own what happens next.

If the Rangers win it all while Sather is here, he deserves plenty of credit. However with one Cup in 83 years and counting, it’s fair to ask just how much say he has in the team’s decision making.

Will the fanbase be satisfied with the front office?

The dismissals of Jeff Gorton and John Davidson surprised large portions of the Rangers’ fanbase, especially considering that many fans believed they were doing an excellent job with the rebuild. Now they will have to wait to see what happens with Chris Drury serving as both President and General Manager. With Glen Sather as an adviser and James Dolan seemingly becoming more involved, will Drury’s decisions be influenced heavily by them?

Naming a head coach is the number one issue facing the front office at present. Drury has expressed how spending the last few years with Jeff Gorton has been helpful to him. Further, he has been in New York for the rebuild and understands his task now. He knows this team and what they need to succeed. Drury is clearly not rushing the coaching decision. Rangers fans are passionate and can be rather opinionated, so it’ll be interesting to see how they react to Drury’s decision.

Who will the next head coach be?

Gerard Gallant is the Rangers’ top candidate for head coach next season. With Canada’s recent success at the World Championships, recovering from an 0-3 start to winning gold, it makes sense that Drury and the front office are seriously considering him. Other names that have been mentioned are Rick Tocchet and more recently, Rod Brind’Amour.

Management has made it clear that the goal for next season is to make the playoffs. Therefore, they need a coach who knows how to win in the NHL. However, with so many young players still on the roster it’s important to keep player development in mind. Ultimately, the next head coach must be a skilled multitasker. There’s going to have to be a balance of developing first, second, and third year players as well as turning the team into a real contender.

Gerard Gallant has coached three different NHL teams in Columbus, Florida, and Vegas. But he was only with each club for three seasons. This may be a concern especially because of the immediate success he had with the Golden Knights in their inaugural season. There has to be a reason that a coach of a successful team gets fired. His time with the Golden Knights, however, did prove that he can coach a team in a unique situation.

John Tortorella was a name that was mentioned quite often immediately after the firing of David Quinn, but the discussion surrounding him has declined since. While his coaching style may be beneficial to the Rangers at this point, he’s not an ideal long term candidate. His style of structure, tenacity, and tough love could help the team develop a real identity. But they also need some stability. Eventually, Tortorella teams seem to lose the ability to win. So regardless of Dolan’s nostalgic feelings towards bringing him back, Tortorella is not the answer.

Rod Brind’Amour has been mentioned a few times, but of course this would require him to leave Carolina. That really doesn’t seem likely as he’s turned them into a winning team. Their second round playoff exit probably won’t be enough for Carolina to choose not to re-sign him. Part of the reason the Hurricanes have been able to achieve success is because they’ve established a culture and identity. Both of these are heavily influenced by Brind’Amour himself. It doesn’t appear that Quinn really created a strong culture with the Rangers, and it’s no secret that it’s something they need. The adversity they faced this season is sure to help them move in that direction, but it can’t stop there. They need a coach with real influence and real leadership to promote a winning culture.

Will the Rangers name a captain next season? Should they?

The Rangers have been without a captain since Ryan McDonagh. They haven’t had stability the last few years due to the rebuild, and now they need to become a cohesive team again. They’ve already developed stronger relationships and a stronger sense of community through the adversity they faced this past season. But further advancement might be achieved if driven by a leader. The coach is an important factor in creating a culture, but a captain also plays a role.

The obvious candidates for captain are Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Jacob Trouba. Kreider is the senoir-most Ranger and seriously made a case for himself last season. Both vocally and through example, Kreider proved that he can be a positive force and an effective leader. While Zibanejad and Trouba could also be considered, neither of them is as vocal as Kreider. Further, Chris Kreider stepped up in the absence of Artemi Panarin and when Zibanejad was experiencing a colossal slump.

Now that the Rangers are past the rebuild and are ready to be a contender, they need a leader who’s been to the playoffs. Kreider has been through multiple playoff runs with the team and seen quite a bit of change in New York. He is the right person to lead them and it’s time to name him captain.

Latest NHL Rumors

Is Rask done in Boston? Latest on coaching hires including Rangers here.

Glen Sather clarified his role as a counselor to Drury and to owner James Dolan. He noted that in some cases having both the role of President and GM can make the job easier sometimes.

Chris Drury on David Quinn and next steps

When it comes to the “rebuild” it sounds like it should be considered over. Drury made it clear that he takes this job “very, very, very seriously.” His mission to the fanbase was direct. “My goal is to bring a Cup to MSG. Period.”

Drury: “I just want to say thank you to Jim Dolan for this opportunity. I grew up a #NYR fan in CT & it was a lifelong dream to be able to play for #NYR… To all the Rangers fans out there, I take this very, very, very seriously, and my goal is to bring a Cup to MSG. Period.”

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 6, 2021

When asked about the future of David Quinn, he would not discuss publicly the future of anyone’s job. Take that as you will, but it does not bode well for most coaches. If there was no intention to make a change behind the bench this was on opportunity for Drury to say so.

Glen Sather further commented that there will be a lot of decisions to be made next week. A coaching change appears to be a likely as I deduced yesterday.

State of the New York Rangers

“I really believe in what we’ve accomplished since The Letter. We have a lot of good pieces & it’s an exciting time for the org,” Drury explained. “When the season ends, we’re going to take a look at everything and see if we can take the next step and make ourselves a playoff team.”

That next step is going to be a series of trades and signings. If you want my best guess they are talking about a big trade like Jack Eichel to start. Drury added the he believes Rangers fans are going to be very excited with the moves they make. Let me ask, would trading for a third line player really excite you? This is going to be big as I’ve been writing for months.

Chris Drury: “I really believe in what we’ve accomplished since The Letter. We have a lot of good pieces & it’s an exciting time for the org. When the season ends, we’re going to take a look at everything & see if we can take the next step & make ourselves a playoff team.”

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 6, 2021

“I think we do have a lot of good assets and we’re going look at everything and try to figure out how best to take the next step forward,” Drury hinted. The Rangers are going to take a handful of these younger players and package them for the pieces they need.

Among them will also be another top four veteran defenseman I believe. Whether that is by the way of free agency or trade I’m not sure. As for beefing up, Sather said he felt the team responded well last night in the wake of the Tom Wilson incident, but I believe changes will be made to the fourth line too.

Other news and notes

Glen Sather wanted it clear that the Tom Wilson letter had nothing to do with JD and Jeff Gorton’s firings.

Chris Drury thanked Jeff Gorton for getting him ready for the role. Also would not discuss details but made it clear James Dolan made him no such promises for a promotion.

The Rangers also made three call-ups as they expect Pavel Buchnevich to be suspended and lost Julien Gauthier for the season.

OFFICIAL: #NYR have recalled forwards Jonny Brodzinski, Tim Gettinger and Justin Richards from @WolfPackAHL.

Details: https://t.co/miXlrtBxCU pic.twitter.com/UTiJcg5hn7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 6, 2021

Latest NHL Rumors

Read more on the NYR fallout here.

Our squad consists of the following…

Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Leetch and Eric Lindros.

The above four legends are pure National Hockey League royalty and are currently (or soon will be in the case of Jagr) enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The above four stalwarts have enough team and individual accomplishments and awards to open up their own annex to the Hall of Fame museum. The brilliance of the above four players have inspired generations of outstanding athletes from all over the world to want to pick up a stick, learn how to skate and follow in their illustrious footsteps.

Joining the Fabulous Four on our hypothetical team are…

Petr Nedved and Alex Kovalev, the Czech and the Russian, complied some extremely impressive statistical seasons during their noteworthy NHL careers with Kovalev earning membership in the 1,000 point club.

Filling out our roster and providing essential depth to the superstars are the likes of…

Bobby Holik, Darius Kasparaitis, Vlad Malakhov, Tom Poti and Martin Rucinsky.

Perennial All Stars they ain’t, but this particular group certainly had distinguished NHL careers and would add skill and talent to any team that required their services.

In Goal and Behind the Bench…

Manning the crease will be the not spectacular, but serviceable, Mike Dunham. Patrolling the bench will be none other than the architect of the NHL’s last great dynasty. The man who taught Wayne Gretzky and Co. how to win in the 1980s. The coach who earned his own niche among the immortals in hockey history, Glen Sather.

That’s a heck of at team we’ve put together haven’t we? I mean, Hall of Famers galore. First round draft picks inundating the roster. Stanley Cup winners, league MVP’s, scoring champions, my goodness!

Our knowledgeable, loyal and passionate Forever Blueshirt readers are fully aware that my array of highly skilled and accomplished players are not part of any hypothetical team. The fact is, I have just listed the majority of the 2003-04 New York Ranger roster.

How Did It Go Wrong

Some 16 years later, I sit here with amazement and astonishment at how and why this group was not able to break the Blueshirts playoff drought which was going on seven years at that juncture. Sure, a sect of this talented roster were past their primes in 2004. Sure, Glen Sather had lost his chops as a viable NHL head coach. Sure, the team resembled a discombobulated collection of mercenaries instead of a well-oiled machine for much of that campaign. But, the fact remains, the 2003-04 Ranger team should have been good enough to, at the very least, qualify for the Stanley Cup tournament.

In late February of 2004, with the playoffs a lost cause, Sather decided to end his reign as Ranger bench boss and hand the keys to the castle over to assistant coach Tom Renney. In March, without pre-notifying the frustrated fan base with any sort of sensationalized letter, Sather began selling off as many trade pieces as he could trying to, in earnest, rebuild the franchise. Sather’s attempt at a rebuild seems futile in comparison to what Jeff Gorton and now John Davidson have been pursing for the last couple of years.

The 1992 New York Mets, famously or infamously, have been described as “The Worst Team Money Could Buy.” I think it’s fair to say that the 2003-04 New York Rangers are the NHL’s equivalent to that impotent, feckless Mets season.

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