Maybe this time, Sather has right man

When Glen Sather says of free agency, "I have a little bit of experience with these things," he's talking about his decades as a general manager. His overall track record, between the Oilers and Rangers, still stands as a good one.

But this little window, when the free-agent market throws open its doors, has not been kind to Sather as president and GM of the Rangers.

Even if you leave out the pre-lockout, pre-salary cap years -- and that's leaving out the six-year, $25.5-million deal Sather gave Darius Kasparaitis, the five-year, $45-million deal for Bobby Holik and the mere signings of Dave Karpa and Igor Ulanov -- Sather's best work has come mostly undoing what he's done on July 1 or 2.

Brad Richards is a Ranger, and the Rangers almost always get their man in the first few days of free agency. The nine-year, $60-million contract sounds imposing, and it is. It's the longest contract for any Ranger in history, even as Sather referred to the chance to sign Richards as something "that only happens every once in a while."

The Rangers had a similarly unique opportunity on July 1 four years ago: try to decide whether to add Scott Gomez or Chris Drury, the top two centers on the free-agent market. They went for both. Gomez got seven years and $51.5 million, Drury got five years and $35 million.

There was fanfare for a pair of Stanley Cup-winning stars that July 1, but not enough wins or chemistry followed. Gomez was shipped to the Canadiens on June 30, 2009, a trade that brought Ryan McDonagh, now one of the core young players; Drury, battered and a little beaten down, just had the final year of his deal bought out Wednesday to, in part, make room for Richards.

Go back three years, and Sather gave Wade Redden a six-year, $39-million deal; Redden is facing his second straight season in the AHL, with two more years after that.

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Over the last four summers, the Rangers have signed 13 NHL free agents. Two of them are still Rangers: backup goaltender Martin Biron and Marian Gaborik, whom Sather would have gladly dealt away during Gaborik's dismal 2010-11 season. The other 10 were traded, bought out or demoted, and there was also the sad death of Derek Boogaard in May.

Hope springs every July 1, though. Richards was the target for months, and the Rangers cut through the line for Richards' services, thanks to John Tortorella's relationship with him in Tampa Bay, a front-loaded contract that will pay Richards $20 million by this time next summer (including two signing bonuses and $2 million salary for the coming season) and, as the player himself put it, a stable owner who's willing to green-light moves like this one.

"This is where, as a coach, I'm blessed with an owner and a general manager who are willing to step up to the plate," Tortorella said.

There have been some swings and misses on July 1s gone by. All you need is one big hit, though, to make it all work.

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