One day last summer, the Rangers seized the attention of their
city and their sport by signing the most coveted free agent in
the NHL, center Brad Richards. The deal was a staggering
one—nine years, $60 million, a $12 million salary in the first
season that would make Richards the league's highest-paid
player—and the organization's justification for it was simple:
Richards had won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay
Lightning in 2004. He had been a marvelous playoff performer
throughout his 10-year career. The Rangers would pay him for the
promise that he would do the same for them.  Derek Stepan
celebrates after scoring the Rangers' first goal of a 3-2 win
over the Senators on Monday night in Ottawa. The Canadian
Press/Associated Press  With his team one loss away from a
stunning first-round exit from the postseason Monday, Richards
provided what so far has been his most vital validation of the
Rangers' commitment to him. He set up a momentum-shifting goal
and added an important power-play goal himsel