Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesIf you think building The Empire State Building was tough, think how challenging the retool-rebuild-reincarnation of the Rangers will be.
The Maven's personal, anonymous, objective franchise-rebuilding expert answers a few key questions about GM Chris Drury's enormous task ahead.
Or, to put it simply, it's a PROBLEM. Otherwise known as a P-R-O-B-L-E-M. Here's why:
"It is very, very tough to retool quickly," asserts my rebuild consultant. "For starters, where does Drury believe these real, special players that they want to bring in are? Does he have five or six of them hiding somewhere we don't know about?
"Are there players in Northern Saskatchewan or Sweden or Finland that just haven't been discovered? There are 32 teams in the NHL and 25 of them are looking for diamonds in secret places to improve themselves – and they just aren't out there!
"If your team has some of those gems, that team is certainly not going to trade them. Look at it this way; it's easier to shake up management. But when it comes to player personnel the Rangers are very limited.”