Game On!

The zaniest day in our hockey year is here and already our three local clubs are involved.

RANGERS:

Colton Orr leaves our Hudson shores for Toronto. Leafs GM Brian Burke wants more toughness and is shelling out a million a year for four seasons. That's a bit nutty for a fourth-line bloke who hardly got any minutes from John Tortorella once Tom Renney got the gate.

Orr's best years were enjoyed with Blair Betts and Fred Sjostrom, with whom he managed to keep up. He was unequivocally the Blueshirts best fighter and, I assume, that Glen Sather and Torts have a replacement in mind. There's certainly plenty of time to find one who can at least skate better than the try-hard Orr and, perhaps, can slug just as well.

UPDATE (3:45 P.M.) – Basher Brashear Arrives and That's Orr-Right with The Maven

Glen Sather wasted about as much time replacing Colton Orr as it takes a New York cabbie to honk his horn.

The Blueshirts inked Donald (Basher) Brashear to a two-year deal totalling $2.8 million.

That makes New York's newest ice cop better paid than Orr, which is perfectly logical since Brashear has been a better fighter even on the best day Colton ever had.

Of course, this makes for a slightly ticklish situation since The Donald lost a few Rangers fans for his now infamous conking of Blair Betts as the Washington-Blueshirts opening round wound down the wrong way. It was a decisive hit at the time because the Blueshirts still had a shot at beating the Capitals and Betts had been John Tortorella's best penalty-killer at the time.

That, however, is ancient history and as we all know, hockey is a war game on ice and, as the sages have said, "All's fair in love and war." In other words, it's better to have one of the best fighters in hockey history on your side than with Washington.

Finally, it can be said that Sather acquired the perfect deterrent to Chris (Don't Turn Your Back On Me) Pronger.

DEVILS:

Andy Greene re-signing with New Jersey is good news for the Garden Staters. The gifted blueliner was one of the few – Mike Rupp being another – whose talents were minimized under the Brent Sutter regime.

Greene is a defenseman with offensive abilities that have not been fulfilled. His point shots are on target more than any other New Jersey backliner's, and he possesses natural smarts. Reaching his prime at precisely the right time, Andy should be in the Devils' top six among D-men.

ISLANDERS:

UPDATE (6:58 P.M.) – Komisarek dream ends

The Maven hoped that the dream-come-true move of Long Islander MikeKomisarek to the Isles would turn to reality by the night of July 1,but the NHL isn't Alice In Wonderland. The Maple Leafs snared him forBIG bucks. What's more Mike's agent, Matt Keator, says that it wasn'tjust the dollars but the fact that the defenseman feels that Torontowas "the right fit" clinched the deal. Which is fine and dandy. Garth Snow will move on and find another solid D man as he did last year. Not to worry, Isles fans.

UPDATE (3:45 P.M.) – Roloson on to the Island

When it comes to evaluating goaltenders, The Maven always bows to goalies. Thus, I have no doubts that Garth Snow thought long and hard about acquiring netminding insurance for the enigmatic Rick DiPietro.

There isn't a fortune teller between Uniondale and Montauk who can predict whether DiPietro will return; 1. In perfectly mint condition: 2. Good enough to play half a season; or, 3. Not play at all.

That said, insurance is necessary and, if nothing else, Dwayne Roloson – the Isles newest acquisition – has been around the NHL block more than once. In Edmonton, they called him the best player on the Oilers last season.

Even assuming the best case – that DiPietro is A-1, Roloson gives the Isles experience, a keen competitive spirit and a couple of years of decent netminding.

Considering that my personal hope for the Isles – Craig Anderson – went to Colorado, Dwayne is just divine for Snow's purposes.

OTHER TEAMS:

UPDATE (4:47 P.M.) – Is a crumbling wall worth four years for $15 million?

My buddy Steve Tambellini is rebuilding the Oilers and I like some of his moves.

But I have to wonder about his inking Nik (The Bulin Wall) Khabibulin for $15 million over four years.

The "Wall" appeared to be crumbling once the Blackhawks met Detroit and I'm not so sure that Nik Of Time has more than one good year left, if that.

Then again, who am I to quibble with a Billionaire Katz who owns The Oil Machine.

It's his dough. I just hope for Steverino's sake that The Wall stays erect.

UPDATE(4:37 P.M.) – A tale of two Marians

If you've seen one Marian, you haven't seen them all. There's the Marian version — Hossa — who has gone to the Chicago
Blackhawks for more than what the Sears Tower is worth and then there's the Gaborik kind who last was sighted as a Wild Minnesotan.

The latter Marian has this rep of being injury-prone which is what they once said about the legendary Hall of Famer Maurice (The Rocket)
Richard.

Gaborik and Richard also have something in common; both could score goals.

As a matter of fact, the Rangers remember Gaborik putting five past them in one game at St. Paul.

All of which is The Maven's way of saying I would LOVE to see the Rangers acquire The Other Marian, now that Hossa is in the Windy City
bag.

With Vancouver, it was a plus-minus day. The Canucks re-signed the Sedin Twins but lost top backliner Mattias Ohlund. The latter signed with Tampa Bay for SEVEN years at $3.75 million per. The Lightning thinking is that Ohlund would be a splendid mentor for rookie whiz Vic Hedman; and in this case GM Brian Lawton is right.

Meanwhile, the Panthers – still without a new general manager, although Bill Torrey is running the show – inked Radek Dvorak for two more years at $1.7 million.

The Maven has no argument with that. Dvorak is the kind of skill guy the Panthers sorely need.

MORE:

• No Surprise Gomez is Gone
• Full Coverage: Rangers | Devils
• Pronger a Cause for Concern?