Panthers trade captain McCabe to Rangers
By DAVID J. NEAL
Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:25 EST
The Panthers traded defenseman and captain Bryan McCabe to the Rangers Saturday afternoon for forward Tim Kennedy and a third round draft pick.
Actually, it should be said, "a third round draft pick and forward Tim Kennedy."
Considering Kennedy’'s situation, this trade breaks down as veteran defenseman for a draft pick. The Panthers now have 10 picks in their 2011 stash while the Rangers pick up an experienced blueliner.
Earlier Saturday, Rangers coach John Tortorella insisted the Rangers wouldn’'t make deals in a banzai attempt to win the Stanley Cup this year, a mark of the pre-lockout Rangers.
"We could’'ve made 10 trades by now, but everyone wants our kids," Tortorella said, according to the Rangers website.
"We don’'t want to be an organization that finishes seventh or eighth every year and gets our butts kicked in the playoffs."
McCabe began his career in the New York area as a second-round 1993 pick of the Islanders. The Panthers became his fifth team when he signed as a free agent before the 2008-09 season. He recently returned from a broken jaw suffered in January.
Kennedy’ spent the season exiled by money in the American Hockey League.
After the sixth round 2005 draft pick became a solid NHL role player in 2009-10 for Buffalo, picking up 10 goals and 16 assists in 78 games, the Sabres walked away from Kennedy’'s one-year, $1 million arbitration award.
He signed with the Rangers for $550,000.
The Rangers sent Kennedy down to Connecticut to begin the season. He cleared waivers then as teams were trying to get down to the 23-player roster limit out of training camp.
But with a cap hit to a claiming team only a little more than half his salary, New York didn’t think he would clear re-entry waivers. So, they've left him in Hartford throughout the season.
If the Panthers want to recall Kennedy, they’ would also have to get him through re-entry waivers.
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