NEW YORK - General manager Glen Sather will again coach the Rangers because he did not find a suitable replacement.
"I went through the process of talking to people about the job," he said Tuesday. "And when the process was finished, I decided that maybe the person that already had the job was maybe the best person for the job. So I decided to keep it."
Last week, Larry Robinson decided not to leave the Devils for the Rangers' job. Sather declined to identify the other candidates.
He took over for Bryan Trottier, fired 54 games into last season, and went 11-10-4-3.
Meanwhile, the Rangers traded Mark Messier to the Sharks for future considerations just hours before he became an unrestricted free agent.
The move was made late Monday but announced Tuesday. It allows San Jose to collect a compensatory draft pick if Messier signs with another team, and the Rangers still might re-sign their longtime captain.
AVALANCHE: Defenseman Karlis Skrastins was acquired from Nashville for future considerations. He has played in 269 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in the league. He had three goals, 10 assists and 44 penalty minutes last season.
BLACKHAWKS: Center Scott Nichol signed. Last season, he led Calgary with 149 penalty minutes but had only five goals and five assists in 68 games. Terms were not disclosed.
BLUE JACKETS: Andrew Cassels agreed to a two-year deal with a player option for a third. Cassels, Columbus' second-leading scorer last season with 68 points, gets a base salary of $3.05-million a year with a $175,000 signing bonus.
CANADIENS: The contracts of forwards Mariusz Czerkawski and Randy McKay were bought out. Czerkawski, a former 35-goal scorer, had five in 43 games last season. McKay had six goals and 13 assists in 75 games. Also, Chad Kilger was re-signed to a two-year, $1.6-million deal. The checking line center had nine goals and seven assists in 60 games last season.
FLYERS: Goaltender Jeff Hackett signed a two-year deal. Hackett, who replaces the traded Roman Cechmanek, was 15-17-2 with a 2.86 goals-against average in 36 games for Montreal and Boston last season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
PREDATORS: Left wing Rem Murray re-signed. In 85 games with the Rangers and Predators, he 12 goals and 19 assists. Terms were not disclosed.
