Updated: October 30, 2008, 11:50 AM ET
Off Broadway: Shanahan through with Rangers, seeking work
Veteran forward Brendan Shanahan has closed the book on his time with the New York Rangers and is looking for work with another NHL club.
Shanahan
"Shanny's kind of looking at Nov. 1 as being his July 1," the agent said, referring to the free agency period that begins every July 1.
He is open "to any and all possibilities," Curran said. Shanahan, who will turn 40 in January, had 23 goals for the Rangers last year. He has scored at least 20 goals in 19 straight NHL campaigns. Shanahan joined the Rangers after playing for nine years in Detroit, where he won three Stanley Cups. But the Rangers, who made significant changes in the offseason, did not have either roster space or cap room for him after two seasons on Broadway. For a long time, Shanahan believed the Rangers would at some point be able to make room for him. But as the season heads into its second month with the Rangers the top team in the NHL with a 9-2-1 record, Shanahan decided this week it was time to move on.Other teams, including the St. Louis Blues, a team for whom Shanahan played in the early 1990s, inquired about Shanahan's services in the offseason, Curran said. But Shanahan did not want to mislead teams about his availability, so talks with other interested parties were short-lived, the agent said.
Blues president and former Rangers goalie John Davidson said Thursday morning that his team is interested in Shanahan. "We're going to look into it," Davidson said. The two are familiar with each other, as Davidson was part of a panel organized by Shanahan during the 2004-05 lockout that looked at ways to improve the game. Davidson said he would want to know that Shanahan's heart is ready to play somewhere else before moving forward. "We're going to do our due diligence," Davidson said. Shanahan has 1,340 points through 1,490 NHL games. If he returns to action, he would rank third among active players behind Joe Sakic and Mark Recchi. His 650 goals put him 11th all-time and should he continue his career, he would be the top goal-scorer among active players. Shanahan has been working out at the Rangers' practice facility outside New York City and Curran said it would take only a short period of time before he is game-ready.Scott Burnside is a senior NHL writer for ESPN.com.

