Let me preface this article: it is not meant as an indictment of Ranger management--the Smith and Sather regimes in particular. It's meant to make clear this point: the Rangers have some nice talent in their system. But, aside from Lundquist and possibly Staal, they lack a sure-fire superstar. Even more alarming is that no where in the Rangers' system is there a bona fide blue chip forward that can rival the NHL's best. (No, Cherepanov cannot be considered this yet, if at all.)
Consider the Stanley Cup finals: the Wings consistently turn out top-flight talent. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are their most recent draft gems. These are not just good payers; these are legitimate superstars. The Penguins drafted Crosby and Malkin in consecutive years. Again, superstars. Players who dominate the game. Go back further in both teams' draft histories and you'll see names like Yzerman, Federov, Lidstrom, Lemiuex, Jagr.
The Rangers? Since 1998, they have made five top-ten draft selections (including two in 1999 alone). The results: Manny Malhotra, Pavel Brendl, Jaime Lundmark, Al Montoya, and Dan Blackburn. In all other years, they have either been too-average of a team to rate a high pick and/or too shy to pull the trigger on a deal that could get them a top choice. Now, obviously, blue chip talent is never found only in the top ten picks. And the Rangers have done a nice job unearthing some good talent in late rounds. But, when you have five top ten picks and turn them into absolutely nothing, you have failed.
But again, this is not a criticism; that would be too easy and it would be unproductive. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. The catch is this: the Rangers have a good team and will for the foreseeable future probably be a top 15 team in the NHL. This means more middle draft picks and less chance to grab an impact skater like Crosby, Malkin, Kane, etc. It will be up to Sather and company to look ahead to the 2009 draft and decide whether it has the top-end talent that is worth making a sacrifice in order to secure. If there are a handful of impact skaters in the next class of draftees, Sather must get the blueshirts a top-five pick. There is no forward to complement the face of Ranger goaltending (Lundquist) and defense (Staal). Time to draft the next number one center or winger.
