Scott Burnside at ESPN.com takes a look at the GM of the Year candidates and places Glen Sather at number three…
3. Glen Sather, New York Rangers
We admit it still seems strange to be considering the reclusive Rangers GM in this category, but there is no denying the admirable work Sather has done in building a gritty, defensively stellar Ranger team that remains the cream of the Eastern Conference crop. He did not add the offensive piece he would have liked at the deadline and time will tell whether that ultimately costs the Rangers a shot at a Cup, but we applaud what must have been a significant temptation to tear part of that roster apart to nab Columbus captain Rick Nash. In our view that would have been a colossal mistake and one that Sather might have made in the past but avoided this year.
…Sather has done a lot wrong during his tenure as Rangers GM (will never be forgiven for trading Leetch), which has added up to just TWO playoff series wins for the Blueshirts in his 11 years at the helm. But it’s officially time for Rangers fans to forget the past and recognize the transformation he has performed the last three years. Did the salary cap force Sather to re-evaluate the way he operated? Sure. But he must be given credit for implementing a game plan to build the Rangers through the draft and acquiring character players, through trades and free agency, who fill a specific role, not just those with the most talent.
…by not giving away the future of the Rangers franchise for Nash, every Rangers fans should have a renewed confidence in Sather’s ability to do the right thing and get this organization another Stanley Cup.
Speaking of the Nash trade, two players that Sather refused to make part of the deal, Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto, are listed in Adam Proteau’s Top 10 performance leaps of the 2011-12 season over at The Hockey News.
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