Rangers trade for defenseman McCabe

In the midst of a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers have made a move to significantly boost their chances of playing more than 82 games this season. They have acquired defenseman Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers for a 3rd round draft pick and center Tim Kennedy, who had been playing in the AHL after signing with the Rangers in the offseason. Not only did the Blueshirts get a player with leadership (was the Panthers’ captain the past two seasons) and power-play ability, but also didn’t have to trade any of their young players like Evgeny Grachev. McCabe, 35, was a 2nd round choice of the rival Islanders in 1993 and has been playing in the league for 15 seasons now. In 48 games this year, he recorded 5 points and 17 assists, nothing to really write home about. However, the previously-mentioned leadership role he could serve to this young team is important. Their current captain, Chris Drury, is injured and isn’t really much of a leader t...