Rangers head coach Tom Renney speaks to the media after his team beat Atlanta 3-2 at MSG.

Rangers players look back on their 3-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Oct. 30 at MSG.

Rangers broadcasters Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti discuss the Blueshirts’ 3-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at MSG.

THE FALLING OF THE LEAVES

AUTUMN is over the long leaves that love us,
And over the mice in the barley sheaves;
Yellow the leaves of the rowan above us,
And yellow the wet wild-strawberry leaves.
The hour of the waning of love has beset us,
And weary and worn are our sad souls now;
Let us part, ere the season of [...]

Since the start of training camp, there was never more than a sliver of a chance that Brendan Shanahan was going to return to the Rangers. Now there’s not even that.

Larry Brooks gets the story this afternoon from No. 14, who said he will now begin fielding offers from other teams.

“I’ve told (agent Rick Curran) [...]

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Lauri Korpikoski was sent back to Hartford today. Having secured a roster spot coming out of a successful training camp and a good pre-season, Korpikoski was unable to contribute offensively during…

According to the NY Post, Brendan Shanahan has grown tired of waiting and will leave NY in search for another team.

“I’ve told Rick [Curran] that I can no longer wait and that it’s time to move on,” Shanahan, referring to his agent, told The Post this afternoon. “Until now, Rick has been under instructions to tell inquiring teams that my focus was on re-signing with the Rangers New York Rangers , and that I was not accepting any other offers.”

While it is a bit emotional to think of all that “Shanny” did as a Ranger to endear himself in NYC in only two short seasons, this writing was on the wall.

“I have no regrets. Too many good things happened to me in my two years here. I met a lot of very good people. And I do think that I was an important and constructive influence, so it’s disappointing not to be able to be here and help finish the job.”

To be honest, Shanahan would not have been able to keep up with the pace that the Rangers currently are playing and the likes of Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes are playing decent enough that they should NOT be sitting in place of a 40 year old.

Where now for Shanny?

“I honestly don’t know what to expect as a free agent right now; for me, this is my July 1,” Shanahan said. “Physically I feel great. I don’t think it will take very long for me to be back, but I don’t know where and when.

I am going to put my money on four likely destinations: Detroit, Montreal, New Jersey, and St. Louis. Of those, I can only speculate that Montreal and Detroit are truly the most viable options.

Also consider the Sundin implications about how all of this played out.

Sundin comes out and says he is going on an intensive two week training stint in preparation for a return in December. Patrick Rissmiller was waived, Curran said that had nothing to do with Shanahan. Today, Lauri Korpikoski was sent down to Hartford and Shanahan announces he will be done with the Rangers.

Is the timing not interesting? Granted, it is all speculative and more of the pundit in me than the analyst. In all liklihood, Korpikoski was sent down so that he could play as opposed to sitting on a bench. Rissmiller has shown little and waiving him could give him an opportunity to play and the Rangers an opportunity to bring in a defenseman. And Shanahan simply couldn’t wait any longer and GM Sather didn’t see him fitting this squad.

Nonetheless, it’s fun.

The waiting is over. And so, too, is Brendan Shanahan’s career as a Ranger. The 39-year-old unsigned right wing who’d been advised for months by GM Glen Sather to “sit tight” in anticipation of both a roster spot and salary-cap space opening…

While I’d be reluctant to characterize Brandon Dubinsky’s benching in the first period of Monday’s win over the Islanders as a big deal, it was still an episode that offered a window into the sophomore center, who in his time in New York has always succeeded in carrying himself as someone much older. This is [...]