The second trade saw the Rangers ship away young defenseman Burke Henry to the Calgary Flames in return for young defenseman Chris St. Croix. St. Croix was drafted in the 4th round by the Flames in 1997. He is labeled as a two-way defenseman who plays physical in his own zone. He is a good skater and makes some good decisions on the ice. Whether he will be able to make the NHL is not known at this time, but he should see a few more years in the minors.
The ESPN2 announcers during the draft announced that it was likely the Rangers would deal Adam Graves to the San Jose Sharks for one or two prospects/minor leaguers. In this proposed deal, the Rangers would be eating about half of Adam Graves’ salary for this upcoming season. Personally, If Graves was to leave this team, I would rather see him traded and get something in return, instead of seeing him bought out and us losing nothing but money. However, either way I don’t want to see Graves traded, as he is an asset to this club in the locker room and he comes up big during the playoffs. Although, dealing him away for marginal prospects with little hope of making the NHL does not help us in any way, shape or form, in my opinion. I believe he could be a huge help this season helping out the youngsters that are expected to make this team. If Graves is traded, it’s not going to be a popular move with the fans, I can assure you of that.
We are still waiting to hear word on what pick we will receive from Dallas in return for John MacLean. Whether it is a 5th round pick or a 9th round pick, no one knows for sure as of now.
I will be back tomorrow updating us Rangers fans on any possible deals and I will recap our selections from the second day of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Stay tuned!
