Glen Sathers Cigar
Sather 4 Ever
That's not the only reason to keep good veterans around. You want to develop your kids, they need solid players to play with.Rangers aren't winning the cup during grabbers window for success. Trade him.
When you just put kids and borderline NHLers out there, you get situations like Arizona and Buffalo and Edmonton (pre McDavid) where they're perpetually stuck in a rebuild. Also why winning culture is important. Have established players around who expect to win and that rubs off on younger players.
Players like Andersson, Chytil, Tony D are all better served if they can become NHLers alongside some solid vets and in a winning culture.
To me, ideal scenario, is we trade some of our UFAs (as long as the deals are worth it) while still remaining heavily in the playoff race, then promote Lias, Filip and Tony to the NHL and they get a taste of playoff intensity by trying to make the playoffs late season and possibly making it. I don't want to trade the UFAs and then miss the playoffs just to likely end up with the 15th pick or something when we can trade players, still make the playoffs and get the 22nd pick or so. Sacrificing that difference is worth it to me for the development gained.
Brady Skjei was picked in the 2012 draft, the season we went to the ECF. So it's not impossible to have a great season, deep playoff run AND get a great prospect with your own 1st rounder.