Washington Post reporter Molly Walker looks back at longtime Rangers executive Glen Suthers’ best three and best three failures during his 24-year tenure in New York.
hit
Discover Henrik Lundqvist
At Lundqvist’s pregame uniform retirement ceremony at the Garden in January 2022, Sather and the Rangers’ franchise goaltender for 15 years reminisced about the day in 2004 when the two linked up in Sweden.
Sather proudly recalled calling Lundqvist “the next guy” and said finding the 30th hole was one of Lundqvist’s most notable accomplishments.
Trading Ryan McDonagh’s contract rights
In July 2010, Sather traded Scott Gomez, Tom Piatt and Michael Busto to the Canadiens in exchange for McDonagh’s contract rights.
Not only did the defenseman eventually become a captain in his fifth season with New York, but the Minnesota native also played 516 games with the Blueshirts during a time when the team made the playoffs every year, including a trip to the Finals in 2014.
Trade for Jaromir Jagr
Sather sent Anson Carter to the Capitals in exchange for Jagr and had Washington agree to pay Jagr’s annual salary of approximately $4 million.
Jagr also agreed to defer payments of $1 million per year (with interest) for the remainder of his contract. Despite playing just 277 games over four seasons in New York, Jagr remains on the Rangers record books to this day.
Miss
Hugh Jessiman was selected 12th overall
One look at the 2003 first-round draft board tells you all you need to know about how this Sather pick panned out.
Jessiman was the first New York City-born player drafted by the Rangers, but the right winger never lived up to expectations and suffered multiple injuries, never playing a single game for the team.
He only played two NHL games with the Predators, but was followed in the draft by players like Dustin Brown (1,296 games), Brent Seabrook (1,114 games), Zach Parise (1,254 games) and Ryan Getzlaf (1,157 games).
Wade Redden’s huge contract
Sather signed Redden to a lucrative six-year, $39 million contract in July 2008 when the defenseman became an unrestricted free agent after 11 seasons with the Senators.
The contract was described by Washington Post reporter Larry Brooks as “the worst in NHL history, if not in hard-capped professional sports.”
The Rangers ended up having to let Redden languish in the minor leagues for two seasons before making an amnesty buyout for him in 2013.
This unfortunate quote…
During his time with the Oilers, Sather once famously said, “If I was on the Rangers’ payroll, I’d never lose.”
Yes, he did, for four seasons before a hard salary cap was first implemented in 2005-06.
The Rangers missed the playoffs all four years but never conquered hockey’s highest peak, Mount Everest, during Sather’s time in the front office.
