Rangers: Getting Something for Nothing
Blueshirts acquire Jokinen and Prust from Calgary
Posted on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 11:30 AM
By Stan Fischler
Where is the National Hockey League Police when a steal has taken place?
(Kidding, of course!)
But if the Rangers' acquisition of Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust from Calgary is not – at least by stickhandling standards – a heist of the best (for Rangers) kind, then I don't know what is.
And I'm not Jokinen either!
In plain Brooklynese, the Blueshirts got something for nothing. Actually, you can make that plural; SOMETHINGS for zippo. Zero. Zilch.
Face it, the total value of Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins to New York was something akin to minus-the-radical-50. Translated: nothing!
Kotalik was so deep in John Tortorella's doghouse, AK couldn't even smell the biscuits.
As for Long Islander Higgins, Christopher arrived on Seventh Avenue with appropriate fuss and fanfare and simply proved to suffer a build-up to a letdown. No more; no less. He failed the club in every possible way and the fact that the Rangers could obtain two appropriate assets in exchange borders on the astonishing.
In the proper setting – which is The Big Apple – Jokinen will thrive, as he has in the not-too-distant past.
We're talking about a powerful 31-year-old center who will make the ideal partner for Marian (The Magician) Gaborik, and this could happen as early as tonight's game with the Kings at Los Angeles.
Jokinen is a player who has tallied at least 34 goals over four different campaigns. How many other players acquired for throwaways can make that statement?
What's more, the Blueshirts have added a feisty 25-year-old in Prust who enjoys nothing more than a good fight and no doubt will be moved on a line with Sean Avery – that is, if The Maven has his way – to provide the Blueshirts with a Mosquito Line with double-sting.
If nothing else, Jokinen will be doubly-motivated. For starters, he's a proud player who realizes that his reputation has dipped and will want to revive it on Seventh Avenue.
For another, he becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent after the season and surely will want to hike his value as much as possible.
My guess is that Olli will very much want to be a Ranger against next fall. That, however, is looking too far ahead. What matters is how Jokinen and Prust perform in Rangers blue.
I predict that this trade will turn the Rangers in a significantly upward direction, guaranteeing a playoff berth and more than a first-round performance.
P.S. Since no arrests have been made, this steal is a beaut on Broadway!
No, I'm not kidding about the beauty part.
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