Marian Gaborik Trade? Yeah ... No
According to Bruce Garrioch the Rangers are shopping around Gaborik.
This is a road I usually try not to go down often, but sometimes rumors are floated that I know will pick up legs and it's probably better to just dive into it day one rather than wait for it to pick up steam.
Today, Bruce Garrioch reported that the Rangers are shopping around Marian Gaborik. From his story:
RUMOURS DU JOUR: Rangers GM Glen Sather isn't the least bit pleased with his club's inconsistency. Sources say the Rangers are trying to do "something" to shake the club out of the doldrums since it would appear coach John Tortorella isn't going anywhere. Since the Rangers have skill, they'd like to bring in more grit. The talk amongst NHL executives is the Rangers have floated the idea of moving RW Marian Gaborik. He has a cap hit of $7.5 million through 2013-15 and will be a UFA at the end. It's believed the Rangers are sniffing around to see what kind of value he has on the market
Where to begin? I'll probably start with the notion that Glen Sather would move Gaborik -- who is top-four in goals in the NHL since coming to New York -- for grit. He also goes on to mention that the Rangers "have skill" but doesn't seem to realize that the Rangers have had significant issues on the power play and with their offense. So, two big holes in the argument right off the bat.
Garrioch also points towards Gaborik's expiring contract as another reason why the Rangers might want to move him. But that doesn't make any sense either. Wouldn't the Rangers want to keep Gaborik in this cap-strapped world knowing that money is coming off the books when the team will really need it (in two years)? What's the point of trading Gaborik (or buying him out -- for those who think that's an option) to save one year's worth of salary?
Fact of the matter is Garrioch prints up stuff like this to move the needle. And it works, for the most part. But this is a rumor that simply isn't going to come to fruition.
Thoughts?
