As the 2018 trade deadline approaches all signs point to the New York Rangers being sellers. The last time we saw the front office accept reality and clear the cupboards was 2004. Interestingly enough, the man who attempted the last rebuild is still in the Rangers front office.
Glen Sather inherited the role of general manager from Neil Smith in June 2000. It was a job that came with plenty of prestige and Scrooge McDuck levels of capital, but also a great deal of pressure. The moves that Sather made in his first few years illustrate just how badly the Rangers wanted to avoid biting the bullet and committing to a rebuild after three years of missing the playoffs with an aging roster.