If you believe NY Rangers General Manager Glen Sather’s explanation for trading away his intangibles-laden captain Ryan Callahan, it came down to MSG’s refusal to include a no-trade clause in the six-year extension that was all but agreed to within a mil or two of $39 mil either way.
Slats made it clear for weeks he’d move Callie if the two sides didn’t reach terms on a contract extension before Wednesday’s trade deadline. Callahan becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Given the point at which negotiations were halted, I’m baffled why Sather didn’t just push the pause button on contract talks and let Callahan play out the rest of the season.
Instead, Slats overreacted and traded Callahan to Tampa for disgruntled 38-year-old winger Martin St. Louis. A rental for a rental. Yeah, St. Louis has another full season on his existing deal but Sather was forced to throw in a first-round draft pick in 2015 and either a first or second rounder in 2014’s draft to make the trade happen.
First round picks in the NHL are similar in importance to first round picks in the NFL. Teams are built around first round picks. What Tampa extracted from Sather feels like theft.
That’s not to demean Martin St. Louis in any way. He’s a great playmaker. He’s won a Hart trophy. He’s won a Cup. He’ll improve the Blueshirts offense for sure. But he’s old. Callie turns 29 in a couple weeks and is in his prime. It’s not hyperbole to say trading Callahan is ripping the heart and soul out of the Rangers locker room. Callie wasn’t a stats guy. He was a leader and he’s a rare commodity given his blend of on-ice courage, toughness and relentless hustle. When this Rangers season ends shy of winning it all, one of their players asked for a post-mortem will tell Larry Brooks that trading Callie cost them a shot at the Cup.
Yes, Callahan’s contract demands may have been a bit too high but he’s been here long enough to watch MSG throw more money per season at players less worthy than him. Callahan gambled the Garden would make the last budge. It didn’t go that way unfortunately and now the Rangers have not only lost a great player – it mortgaged some of its future on a short, old guy who may not have much left.