The Rangers won’t see Sean Avery when they play in Dallas tonight — he still hasn’t played since the “sloppy seconds” nonsense of last December — but according to the Post, they might be seeing a lot of him soon. Larry Brooks reports that the Rangers have had internal discussions about reacquiring the winger, a move that makes plenty of sense for a team that’s quite soft as it’s currently configured, as well as for a player who craves attention the way most of us crave oxygen. (The fact that in his two seasons in New York the Rangers were 50–23–13 with Avery in the lineup doesn’t hurt, either.)
But the process of making this happen seems complicated enough that there are a lot of ways it could go wrong. He’s expected to have completed the NHL’s behavioral modification program (which we assume was created specifically with Avery in mind) by Monday. Then, he’d have to clear waivers and, because Dallas doesn’t have its own minor-league team, be sent to another team’s affiliate — in this case, the Rangers’ club in Hartford.
Once there, the Rangers would have to reach an agreement for the Stars to place him on reentry waivers, at which point they could claim him. This would all need to happen by March 4 for Avery to be eligible for the playoffs, but that shouldn’t be a problem. After all, he’s got summer internships to apply for, and you can’t interview for those from Hartford, can you?
