Broadway Burnaby: What If Joe Sakic Had Signed with the New York Rangers?

Joe Sakic re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche yesterday with a one-year contract worth $6 million that will bring him back for his 20th NHL season. It is scary to think that Sakic was thiiiiiiisss close to being a Ranger 11 years ago. Unfortunately, the Avs matched the Rangers' offer sheet , and New York was doomed to seven years without the playoffs. Had Sakic headed for Broadway, who knows what would have happened? At the least, New York would have remained competitive against the stifling Devils system. Sakic would have been the crown jewel in a rebuilt Ranger roster and found immediate comfort thanks to the signings of his Colorado teammates Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland. Sakic could have also helped keep Theo Fleury on a leash, and perhaps Valeri Kamensky wouldn't have been as big of a bust. And the Rangers wouldn't really have missed the five first-round draft picks that would have gone Colorado's way, as they pissed them away by drafting Manny Malhotra (1998), Pavel Brendl ... (link)