Avery Demoted to Hartford

I suppose from where we stood in December, we've almost come full circle in the whole Sean Avery saga out and on his way back into the NHL. When we left Avery, he had just been suspended indefinitely by the NHL, which eventually turned into only 8 games. Then, those 8 games turned into accepting a stop in an NHL-approved attitude adjustment therapy for an indefinite period of time. Well, that indefinite period of time ended last week and he was cleared with a clean bill of spotlessness.

Of course, the Dallas Stars didn't want Sean Avery. That was made abundantly clear when he was sent to his emotional rehab and the team agreed with those statements by playing exceptionally well and rejoining the playoff race. Then what?

How about the Rangers? They like Sean Avery. They had some sort of success with him in the line-up... maybe they'll take him off our hands. Well, no... it's not going to be that easy. The Rangers are certainly considering him for their team, but they want to take him for a spin first. Avery has been loaned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers. It's actually somewhat convenient that the Stars don't have their own AHL affiliate, they can play 'used car dealer' to the rest of the NHL.

The Rangers will likely kick the tires of Avery for a while before deciding on whether or not to put a down payment on him and his services with the Stars. If he passes his check-up, he could very well be in the thick of the playoff race once again in the East.

Also, be sure to circle March 30th on your calendar... the Devils are in MSG and by then, if everything goes to plan, we'll see a wonderful rematch of Avery versus Brodeur. Now THAT... is drama!