Penguins and Capitals Might Turn Out To Be the Losers of the Trade, Rangers Win

“After learning the specifics of the whole Jagr deal between the Rangers, Penguins and Washington, the New York Rangers might turn out to be the winners afterall, and the Penguins and Capitals, the losers.”What was the real deal here? Why did it not go through what Sather offered to Patrick? GM Patrick tried to rip off GM Sather, not a smart thing to do. When contacted, Sather was asked about the trade. Sather received a call from Patrick informing that the Washington Capitals were in the run for Jagr. Then, Sather called Capitals GM McPhee, and asked him if he was in the Jagr run. McPhee answered no. Lying is never a good thing, but why did McPhee lie?

Further questions asked to Sather included what the request from the Penguins was. The names known of Patrick’s request were Brendl, Lundmark, and Tomas Kloucek, but Sather added “More than that”. So what was Patrick asking? The whole Rangers youth? He was asking for the Rangers youth that has more ready-to-go players, but then asks the Capitals three not-ready-to-go players. That is a joke. This shows signs that Patrick is not a good GM to trade with, especially for the Rangers. Could Patrick’s request have been, Kloucek, Lundmark, Brendl, Dvorak, Johnsson/York, a draft pick, the money, and future considerations? You evaluate and compare that with what he requested from the Capitals. To make it easier for you, just look at the names and compare them. Patrick made himself look like a fool to the media, especially New York media.

Now, getting to the point of who is the winner and loser. Think about it for a second here. The Rangers did not give up anything, nor did they get anything. The Penguins gave up the most talented NHL player for three prospects, risking that these three prospects could be unsuccessful in the NHL. The Washington Capitals traded their three top prospects, as said, for the NHL’s most talented player, who is a UFA in two years.

If the three prospects acquired by the Penguins turn out to be unsuccessful, they just lost the trade, because they simply could have had a better deal by having Hlavac, York, and Johnsson, as offered by Sather. This makes them the losers of the trade.

What are the Capitals thinking? A run at the Cup? For sure they are thinking of that if they traded for Jagr. But with all those Cup contending teams out there, you really think the Caps can actually win it with Jagr? Even in 2002-2003? There are possibilities, but not high ones. So then what happens? Jagr is a Unrestricted Free Agent. This is when the Rangers go hunting. That year, Jagr will be the best UFA out there on the market. There is a high chance of Washington losing Jagr that year, since Jagr preferred joining the Rangers. If Jagr signs with another team when he is a UFA, guess what? Capitals are the losers of this trade. Not only did they lose their top 3 prospects, but also Jagr, and so they are left with nothing.

Why are the Rangers the winners? Well, not so winners because they got nothing, but gave up nothing. Rangers stick to their plan, and in the two years left on Jagr’s contract, the Rangers youth should be better and the team as well. That attracts Jagr, and the Rangers could have a great young talented team, along with Jagr. Let’s add another “if” in here. “IF” The Rangers trade for Lindros, doubting that might happen, and they sign Lindros to 3 years or so, imagine if the Rangers then go after Jagr while they have Lindros? This is a wild idea, and imagine the expenses for just Lindros and Jagr. But hey, Lindros and Jagr on one team is awesome, including young talented players. Plus, if the Avalanche are paying around 40 million a season for 4 players, then the Rangers could do that as well, right? The off-season is not over yet, the General Managers are the only ones playing the game now, which means any trades could be made before training camp.

Micki Peroni


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