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Why The New York Rangers Are Saying Goodbye To St. Louis

By Jen Yates

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Published in the New York Post, Larry Brooks stated that 40 year-old Martin St. Louis will not be back as one of the New York Rangers. He was “apparently unhappy over the way he was used as the playoffs evolved.” As a result, both sides have agreed to part ways.

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Could this be the reason why the New York Rangers have to say goodbye to Martin St. Louis?

This was not how I expected St. Louis’ time as one of the New York Rangers to end. This paints a very different picture than what we saw from Brooks just a few short months ago.

In his article back on April 9, 2015, he quotes St Louis as saying:

"“There is no doubt I want to play next year. Period.” He said “And for sure, yes, I want to play here. I want to finish my career as a Ranger. There’s no doubt about that either.”"

Those are the words I remember, that is the St Louis I have grown to love and appreciate. So what exactly changed from April until now? What happened in that short amount of time to create such a giant change of heart? Where did his passion and loyalty for the New York Rangers go? In the following video clip we see him proudly stating, this is his team.

June 1st, New York Rangers break-up day, Alain Vigneault did an exit interview where the question was asked “What does he see for St. Louis’s future?” Vigneault’s response was “He (St. Louis) wants to take a little time at this moment to analyze this season and to see what he wants to do.” he further stated “That being said, from our end, we want to see where the caps gonna be at.” This will allow both sides time to decided what happens next.

One thing is clear, despite his age and disappointing ending record, St. Louis is not ready to retire yet. The New York Rangers may have been able to squeeze out a one year contract, if he was willing to take a significant pay-cut to stay under the restricting salary cap. My guess is, he feels that was simply not an option.

May 17, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault and New York Rangers forward Martin St-Louis (26) during the third period in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

It was rumored their was mutual interest from both the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins on acquiring him over the summer. These locations would be relatively close to home for him and would make the most sense, but his options are becoming limited. It was reported this earlier this morning from The Score, the Penguins are no longer interested.

In my perfect world, Marty would stay with the New York Rangers. Accept a small, one-year contract that would free up the necessary cap space to afford him. Determined to end his career on a high note, he would explode into a goal scoring asset that leads the team into a Stanley Cup victory. This would be a picture-perfect end to his career and we can send him off into retirement as a successful Ranger.

Seeing how the world is not perfect, I’m going to have to accept that he is not coming back next season. Wherever he ends up, I wish him all the luck and happiness in his new team. Despite how he finished his time as one of the New York Rangers, I will choose to appreciate him and what he brought to the team. Mother’s Day was forever changed in my heart and I will never forget him or that moment.

#ThankYouMarty

Next: New York Rangers Laying The Groundwork For Future Success

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