New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - The New York Rangers dealt defenseman Brian Leetch to the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday in the team's third move in two days. The Rangers also sent a conditional draft pick to Toronto and received a highly-touted pair of European prospects -- defenseman Maxim Kondratiev and center Jarkko Immonen -- along with a 2004 first-round draft choice and a 2005 second-round selection. The two-time Norris Trophy winner had played his entire 17-year career with New York, compiling 240 goals and 741 assists in 1,129 games. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the team's Stanley Cup run in 1994. The Rangers, having already traded away Petr Nedved earlier in the day to Edmonton, and Alexei Kovalev Tuesday night, are moving forward with rebuilding through youth as they are on their way to a seventh consecutive year without making the playoffs, the last four under president and general manager Glen Sather. The team currently sits in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-31-7-5 mark, 15 points behind the eighth-place Islanders.
|