 Blackburn could not rehabilitate the damaged nerve, and was forced to retire at age 22.Towards the end of the 2003–04 season, GM Glen Sather finally gave in to a rebuilding process by trading away Brian Leetch, Alexei Kovalev and eight others for numerous prospects and draft picks.With the retirements of Pavel Bure and Mark Messier, as well as Eric Lindros signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the post-lockout Rangers, under new head coach Tom Renney, moved away from high-priced veterans towards a group of talented young players, such as Petr Prucha, Dominic Moore and Blair Betts.