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NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Rangers General Manager Sean Gaffney held a press conference this afternoon at Madison Square Garden where Ilya Kovalchuk was introduced as the newest Ranger, confirming reports out of New Jersey yesterday that the superstar was moving from the Jersey swamps to Broadway.
"As soon as we heard that Rich was considering moving Ilya, we started working the phones. This was something we discussed for more than a week before we were able to lock it down."
The addition of Kovalchuk gives New York a bonafide sniper, one of the deadliest goal scorers in the league. With a roster seemingly filled with playmakers, this was a major need and it was filled in a big way.
Going to New Jersey are stud defenseman Shea Weber, prospect center Trevor Lewis, and the 10th overall pick in next weekend's entry draft. The Rangers also acquired $750,000 in cash as part of the deal.
"We really struggled with the idea of trading Weber. He is a guy we envisioned playing on our top defensive pairing for the next ten plus years. Now he's in a Devils uniform and we'll have to battle against him in several games per year for a long time. To get a guy like Kovalchuk you need to be willing to part with some elite talent," said Gaffney.
Kovalchuk just turned 24 years old in April and the Rangers see him as being their franchise player for may years to come.
"Although he has been in the league for a few years now, he won't be 25 until the tail end of next season," continued Gaffney. "We're extremely excited to see what he and Marc Savard can do on the same line. Savvy is one of the best playmakers in the league and it will be great to see their talents on the same line."
When asked if any more major moves are in the works for this offseason, Gaffney said that his team is likely to be quiet in Free Agency this season,
"I don't expect anything major, but we'll continue to work on getting this team back into the playoffs. We're focusing on our two second round picks in next weeks draft for now, and then we plan to be pretty quiet on the free agent market this year. We may make a few small moves here and there and possibly add another defenseman, but the Kovalchuk trade was our big move of the offseason."
"As soon as we heard that Rich was considering moving Ilya, we started working the phones. This was something we discussed for more than a week before we were able to lock it down."
The addition of Kovalchuk gives New York a bonafide sniper, one of the deadliest goal scorers in the league. With a roster seemingly filled with playmakers, this was a major need and it was filled in a big way.
Going to New Jersey are stud defenseman Shea Weber, prospect center Trevor Lewis, and the 10th overall pick in next weekend's entry draft. The Rangers also acquired $750,000 in cash as part of the deal.
"We really struggled with the idea of trading Weber. He is a guy we envisioned playing on our top defensive pairing for the next ten plus years. Now he's in a Devils uniform and we'll have to battle against him in several games per year for a long time. To get a guy like Kovalchuk you need to be willing to part with some elite talent," said Gaffney.
Kovalchuk just turned 24 years old in April and the Rangers see him as being their franchise player for may years to come.
"Although he has been in the league for a few years now, he won't be 25 until the tail end of next season," continued Gaffney. "We're extremely excited to see what he and Marc Savard can do on the same line. Savvy is one of the best playmakers in the league and it will be great to see their talents on the same line."
When asked if any more major moves are in the works for this offseason, Gaffney said that his team is likely to be quiet in Free Agency this season,
"I don't expect anything major, but we'll continue to work on getting this team back into the playoffs. We're focusing on our two second round picks in next weeks draft for now, and then we plan to be pretty quiet on the free agent market this year. We may make a few small moves here and there and possibly add another defenseman, but the Kovalchuk trade was our big move of the offseason."
