All I can say is this, the longer Brendan Shanahan sits the more interesting this story will become.
The better way to phrase this may be to say the longer Glen Sather continues to string Shanahan along the more interesting this story becomes.
The Rangers hold the cards here, they will determine whether Shanahan plays in New York or elsewhere.
The bottom line is Brendan Shanahan wants to play one more year in the National Hockey League.
He also wants to return to New York.
There’s one slight problem, the Rangers have no cap room.
Word is the Rangers are looking to move a few players to create space for Brendan Shanahan.
Shanhan's agent told me on Sunday that nothings changed, Shanahan is fully focused on returning to the Rangers. That won't change unless the Rangers tell Shanahan they can't make it happen.
They are under no time frame here and Shanahan's agent isn't about to engage in conversations with anyone unless he's prepared to reach an agreement.
We remain far away from heading in that direction.
In the meantime....
Shanahan is still out there and Blues President John Davidson is observing the situation rather closely.
Don’t confuse this to mean the Blues have thrown Brendan Shanahan an offer, but it might not be long before they do.
Would it make sense for the Blues to go out and sign Brendan Shanahan?
This guy was an absolute rock star early in his career when he and Brett Hull were teaming up to score 50 goals each in St. Louis.
First of all he can still score, he remains lethal from the slot area and is smart enough to find the quiet ice and make himself available.
There is little question Shanahan can help the Blues in a number of different areas on the ice including the penalty kill. He was given the responsibility to kill penalties for the Rangers last season and he excelled.
It goes without saying he’d be a welcome addition to the power play.
What an impact Shanahan would have in the Blues dressing room. The Blues have a very young roster that could no doubt use Shanahan’s presence and influence, but it’s not just about the youth. This guy would have an influence over veteran players as well which is just as important.
Back in the day Shanahan was St. Louis Blues hockey and there would be very little adjustment necessary for this guy to fit in. He has an affinity for the city and the organization, therefore one can only assume he’d be open to the idea of returning to St. Louis.
Shanahan would instantly become the Blues most popular player and be able to single handedly help push the Blues product off the ice unlike any player the Blues have had since Brett Hull left.
At some point Shanahan will need to begin to explore some alternatives. It’s safe to say based on people I’ve spoken to that he wants to return to New York, but as we sit right now the Rangers are not capable of bringing him on board. This doesn’t mean he won’t end up in the Big Apple, but as long as he’s still out there the chances of him finishing his career elsewhere and in this case St. Louis certainly increase.
The Blues are definitely interested and have contacted Shanahan’s representatives. In my opinion the Blues feel in the back of their heads that he will ultimately end up playing for the Rangers this season, but if the Rangers fail to get him signed look for the Blues to be a major player.
Rink Rats!
I recently read Peter Forsberg may not be healthy until Christmas, there’s a shocker!!
Am I the only one annoyed with the attention Mats Sundin is getting? Just think how much attention he’d be getting if he’d actually won something in his NHL career. I’m not saying he isn’t a great player, but seriously it’s getting out of hand when we get daily updates of what he had for breakfast in Sweden. He did win a gold medal, I’ll give him that but it’s amazing to me what playing in Toronto can do to give a player “God like status”.
Former NHL D-man Jamie Rivers is considering returning to the NHL this season. Rivers has several offers to return to Russia but has also heard from several NHL clubs including Toronto, Buffalo, Atlanta, and Calgary.
Look for Mike Sullivan to possibly emerge as a coaching candidate in Long Island with the Islanders.
UFA Ladislav Nagy continues to field several offers from NHL teams. A few teams may have to be creative to make room for the NHL veteran. Nagy has also received a lucrative offer from a professional team in Russia but he remains focused on playing in the NHL.
Goaltender Mike McKenna has signed a contract with the Norfolk Admirals to play this season.
15 NHL teams will introduce a third jersey this season.
Islanders forward Mike Sillinger is back skating after have major hip surgery last season.
Eric Boguniecki has signed a contract with the Anaheim Ducks Organization. The former 20 goal scorer in the NHL played last season in Germany.
Blues Clues!
An autographed Erik Johnson jersey recently sold for $700.00 at the Laurence Maroney Foundation Charitable dinner I was once again involved with this summer. Maroney is the starting running back for the New England Patriots who also starred for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota.
Don’t rule out the possibility of the Blues making a trade before the beginning of camp. Management will continue to explore this option.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
[email protected] 
St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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