You always apologize when it comes to this. Which is weird cause you know a thing or two about how these things work and the bottom line was if you want a player you always figure out how to keep'em. Torts was not interested in Korpikoski. Sather's boys got excited, yet again, on a small sample size of Lisin's game. Other teams usually get value, some kind of talent that can at least play a shift. Lisin was absolute zero. They had him on the first line.
Waste of an asset from a team that can never really afford to just 'go with their gut'.
Agreed with the bolded. But the Rangers, for better or worse, don't let RFAs push them around with contracts. Especially unproven players. And Korps people were leaking stuff about him being "disgusted" with the Rangers offer, which was basically just the QO. And that's not considering the concern about him leaving for the KHL.
When it came to trading him, the Rangers probably had to decide between getting back a wild card player like Lisin or a lower-ish pick like a 3rd rounder. Figure between what Sanguinetti and Boyle got in return. I mean look at what Andrew Ladd fetched the next summer. A KHL bound defenseman and a 2nd rounder. And he was/is a much better player.
In retrospect I would have preferred the pick(s), but that's probably a side effect of being on this board so long. I think we tend to value draft picks ever more than real hockey management.
Either way there was not going to be a perfect deal. I guess I just don't see peoples obsession with the deal.
On a side note I will never understand why Torts didn't absolutely love him. With more ice time (and production) and Torts endorsement he probably would still be a Ranger. He seems like such a Torts player.