The Rangers, Ryan Callahan, and Why James Dolan Is Horrible

It’s ironic that on the day New York Knicks fans are trying to have a protest on the steps of Madison Square Garden because of their disdain for Knicks owner James Dolan, Dolan and his underling GM Glen Sather screw the New York Rangers.

Today, James Dolan sanctioned a trade that sent New York Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning for 38-year-old disgruntled Winger Martin St. Louis and two picks, a first round in 2015 and a second round pick in 2014.

So let’s just recap, Dolan traded away our 28-year-old captain who everyone knows is the heart of this team and gives 100% whenever he’s on the ice and loves the Rangers, for Martin St. Louis who is at the end of his career and who Lightening GM Steve Yzerman couldn’t wait to get out of Tampa ever since the Team Canada snub for the Olympics. This trade is awesome…in 2004. 

Did Dolan really let Captain Cally go because they couldn’t come to an agreement on a price?

Callahan wanted 6.5 million a season for 6 seasons, and for the clubs captain and fan favorite that was too much money?

That entire premise is ridiculous because first and foremost no decision had to be made right now.

That’s why there are negotiations so the two sides can come to an agreement at some point before next season. It’s only March, what was the rush? The fear that Captain Cally would walk for free in the off-season?

He loves the Rangers and if both sides could sit down when the dust settled on the season and everyone was thinking with a clear head, this is something that could have easily be worked out for both sides. 

The Rangers had this same predicament with Henrik Lundqvist and Rangers nation was in a panic thinking we would lose Hank, but that ended up not being the case. Hank is a Ranger for life and Captain Cally should have been right here with him. 

But what did Rangers fans expect from this organization, this is the some thing they pulled with getting past their primes players like Brendan Shanahan, Wayne Gretzky and Chris Drury just for headlines, not for wins.

But hey this blueprint works well in the Garden, the system of getting fans and celebrities in the seats but no banners in the rafters. 

Yzerman wanted St. Louis gone, St. Louis also wanted out, we could have gotten him for a pair of skates and a slice of pizza. The Lightning just wanted him off their hands, and they needed a sucker to run their con on…they found the perfect patsy, James Dolan. 

This isn’t the first time a GM has gotten the better of James Dolan. Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri consistently gets the better of Dolan every time he has dealing with him from the time Ujiri was with the Denver Nuggets, and now with his current team the Raptors.

I guess it’s Yzerman’s turn to teach Dolan how to properly get things done. 

The Knicks haven’t won a championship since 1973 and they aren’t winning one anytime soon as we can all see.

They overpaid for Raymond Felton and JR Smith, and they still have another year of that horrible Amare Stoudemire contract that pays him the same amount of money as their actual star Carmelo Anthony.

Difference is Melo is a goner after this terrible Knicks season, but the Rangers are a playoff team and can get to where the teams needs to get with just another good stick. But not another good stick at the expense of our Captain and 2, potentially 3 draft picks. 

It only makes sense that we traded away the guy that’d the team spine, and gets everyone fired up when we need a lift especially in the playoffs.

You can’t put a price on leadership, you can’t put a price on a guy that puts his body on the line to block pucks from finding their way to Hank over and over again.

Those are intangibles that can’t be measured or seen in a box score after the game is over.

The man is the epitome of a New Yorker, he’s all about making his guys better and never backing down from any challenge and gives it everything he’s got on every single shift. He’s an Olympian for Christ sake.

But that wasn’t good enough for Dolan and Sather. They want to win now, because this entire “win now” mantra has worked well for both of Dolan’s franchises, much to the chagrin of two loyal fan bases that support their teams through and through.

No matter how good or bad the Knicks and Rangers are doing, the Garden is sold out, Rangers and Knicks gear is being worn around the country and both fan bases are watching every game.

All we know is how to support the Knicks or the Rangers to the fullest. And since Dolan knows that he will continue to act with impunity and ineptitude will reign supreme in MSG.

I am not a Knicks fan but I know that fan base is loyal, and I’ve felt their championship drought pain since Mark Messier hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1994. 

So enjoy your protest Knicks fans, as a matter of Knicks fans, move over. I’m on my way with my Callahan shirt on and sign that says “Dolan sucks.”