Trade creates cap space for Rangers, more pressure for Gomez

Maybe part of the conversation had Glen Sather offering to sell the Brooklyn Bridge as well.

Of course, it would have been better had the Rangers general manager found a way to dump Wade Redden's salary on the Canadiens, too. Or at least Michal Rozsival. But being greedy is out these days. And besides, passing Scott Gomez and the $33.5 million he's owed over the next five years off on Montreal is no mean feat.

Scott Gomez will cost the Canadiens $7.5 million in cap space per season until 2014. (US Presswire)

Actually, it's a little stunning when you think about it. The Rangers were pushing the salary-cap limit thanks to a few players they signed at a time for top dollars when the economy was humming. And most GMs around the league are reluctant to take on players with long and overvalued contracts because they expect the cap to go down next season, so effectively the Rangers had few ways to fix several problems they have.

But after talking to Montreal GM Bob Gainey last week about their "mutual needs," Sather somehow convinced him to take a second-line center, who is being paid first-line money, off his hands in a trade. Sather didn't throw in the bridge, although he did give up a couple of non-descript prospects with Gomez, but he got back younger and much less expensive talents in Christopher Higgins and University of Wisconsin first-rounder Ryan McDonough. More important, the offense-starved Rangers are now set up to be a major player when the free-agent market opens.

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Not a bad way to jump the gun, and maybe even create a domino effect on free agency.

"It gives us a lot more options, more availability to do other things," Sather said. "We're not up against the cap now, we've got lots of cap room, it just makes options more inviting now to us."

Sather said he had already received phone calls from three other teams and didn't rule out making another trade before the market opens. The move makes dealing for Ottawa's Dany Heatley and his salary viable for the Rangers, but there are likely to be several available high-scoring forwards -- such as Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik and Martin Havlat -- who could fit into the salary slot New York now has open.

"Not sure what's going to happen, but we also have depth in the minors and we wanted to make some room for young guys," he said. "[Coach John Tortorella] has talked about young guys all year long."

Meanwhile, the Canadiens also received a couple of youngsters in minor leaguers Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto, but neither is going to help them any time soon, if at all. Gomez though is no slouch -- a fast, smooth skating playmaker and the best player in the trade. So by definition, that means Montreal won this deal. At first glance, anyway.

The Alaskan-born center and 2000 Rookie of the Year can be a 70- to 80- point producer under the right circumstances. He cashed in with New York because of the success he had for several seasons across the Hudson River as a role player with the New Jersey Devils. However, Gomez couldn't handle stepping up to a lead role on Broadway, and that's what the Rangers expected of him when they signed him for $51.5 million and then pushed Jaromir Jagr out the door.

Now he'll have to do that as a go-to guy in a more demanding market.

"Scott will do very well there," Sather said. "He's a very good player, real good guy, who worked hard and was exceptional with the team in dressing room. We have no complaints about him.

"But there's a time in every player's life there's an opportunity for him to do well and for the team to do well. We have to think about long-term effects, and when there are opportunities there to make changes, you can't stay pat. With a hockey team, you have to make a certain amount of changes every year. We decided this was the right change for us."

And maybe that's the only kind the Canadiens can make these days. The team has trouble getting big-name free agents to sign because of the pressure players have in Montreal, which tends to require doing things that otherwise wouldn't happen. But the 29-year-old center will cost them $7.5 million in cap space per season until 2014; you have to think the Canadiens could have used that space a little better.

For Montreal, the good thing it is actually one of the few teams with enough cap space to take on Gomez easily; it has 10 players hitting the free-agent market. But this deal essentially means the Canadiens are out of the running for native son and local fan favorite Vincent Lecavalier, who has long been rumored to be on his way and a target of Gainey's since the All-Star break. Lecavalier's no-trade clause will kick in July 1 when his 11-year, $85 million extension with Tampa Bay takes effect.

Lecavalier is not coming to Montreal, and popular captain Saku Koivu likely is going. And Gomez will be constantly reminded he's one of the reasons why.