Dac Vee Daniyah Zherdev

August 4, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

Dac vee daniyah Nikolai Zherdev! At least that’s what the Rangers apparently did a few minutes ago per Newsday’s Steve Zipay, rejecting the $3.9 million salary arbitration reward.

So, that’s it. Zherdev is officially an ex-Ranger after one season. What a joke. Way to go Slats! You traded away Fedor Tyutin for nothing. How does it feel? I honestly am at a loss but that’s what having this senile loser does to Ranger fans. Let’s just call for what it really is. Epic fail.

It’s just like most other great moves the genius has made. Shall we start a list that didn’t pan out? It would be too long and painless.

Fact is this franchise has won a grand total of two rounds under Glen Sather. And they did on the back of Jaromir Jagr, who he lucked into when the Caps couldn’t wait to send him here for <gulp> Anson Carter. That was the only time Slats nailed it surrounding No.68 with a few of his Czech posse in Martin Straka, Martin Rucinsky, Marek Malik, Michal Rozsival and Petr Prucha. He also signed Michael Nylander who became Jagr’s center, doing a much better job than Scott Gomez who never fit in and was dumped for Chris Higgins.

Brendan Shanahan and Matt Cullen were decent here even if the latter didn’t produce like he had in helping the Hurricanes win Lord Stanley. But following the team’s best run in which they pushed a better Sabre team six, Cullen was pushed out the door after one season for Gomez and Chris Drury, who hasn’t exactly fulfilled expectations for his huge salary. That’s a Ranger trademark dating back to the lost days of Theo Fleury, Valeri Kamensky, Stephane Quintal and Sylvain Lefebvre.

So, how does the decision look kicking Jagr to the curb for a failed roll of the dice on Zherdev with overpaid stiff Wade Redden forcing him to move one of our best defenseman? You really can’t make this stuff up.

Sather also turned Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes into zilch, using Derek Morris as a rental- who of course signed with the Bruins. For what exactly? To be eliminated in the first round making franchise history by blowing a 3-1 series lead. The wrong kind versus the Caps! No. Dmitri Kalinin doesn’t count. But hey. He’s in the KHL and was part of the Team Russia training camp Olympic invites over Zherdev. But heck. Even Devil failed project Vitaly Vishnevski and Ranger loser Max Kondratiev were on the list. I kid ya not.

So, Zherdev is out after one year, which wasn’t totally bad with his 58 points (23-35-58)  tying for the club lead in scoring. If only the Russian enigma had performed more consistently, actually showing a pulse in the first round. Maybe he’d still be here instead of anticipated new whipping boy Ales Kotalik.

Oh well. From one headcase to another our Sabre blogger knows quite well even laughing at the three years Slats gave him at a three million average. Impossible. Not if you are in James Dolan’s good graces.

Why can’t the Dumb and Dumber tandem just be sealed up brick by brick like Barnabas did to Reverend Trask in a classic Dark Shadows episode? I know. That’s a tad overboard. But I just fail to see this franchise ever having ultimate success as long as Sather is here. Well, at least unsigned Brandon Dubinsky is still here.

It’s lunch time. Will someone please pass the scotch?