Word came out of Hilton Head, S.C., yesterday that Mark Messier is still contemplating a return to the ice. Though the 44-year-old center is long past the day when he could control the outcome of a hockey game through his own force of will, he is still more than capable of taking a regular shift as the third- or fourth-line center for a productive hockey team. Of course, whenever rumors about Messier circulate, Madison Square Garden must be considered a possible destination.

Theoretically, it would be nice if Messier and fellow unrestricted free agent Brian Leetch, 37,could finish their careers in style on Broadway. The two played instrumental roles in bringing hockey to the forefront of the New York sports scene in the mid-1990s, culminating with a heroic performance that brought the Stanley Cup to the Garden for the first time in 54 long years.

Unfortunately, the Rangers’ abysmal results over the past seven seasons – combined with the inevitable bad feelings generated by the yearlong lockout – make such a scenario extremely unlikely. Both Messier and Leetch played key roles throughout the team’s precipitous decline, and though they cannot be blamed individually for the catastrophe that ensued, the goodwill they earned in 1994 has all but disappeared.

An analysis of the Rangers’ depth chart also yields a painful conclusion: the team has not done a very good job of preparing for the future. For this reason, GM Glen Sather must look to the draft and free-agent market if he is to measurably improve the team’s outlook.

Adding Leetch to the defense might make a big splash in the tabloids, but adding a player like Boston’s Sergei Gonchar would immediately bestow the Rangers with one of the league’s best power plays. Six years younger than Leetch and with many fewer miles on his odometer, Gonchar is exactly the type of player the Rangers need to target.

So the question becomes: Where will Messier and Leetch end up? At this stage in their respective careers, both players should expect to receive substantial reductions in pay. Messier would be lucky to secure a one-year deal worth $2 million, while Leetch shouldn’t expect to earn much more than half of the $6.6 million he netted in 2003-04.

It’s quite likely that the two veterans will want to play together again, in which case three locales make particularly good sense. Messier loves to vacation in Hilton Head, and he could provide an excellent role model for Hurricanes youngsters like Eric Staal and Erik Cole, while Leetch would invigorate the team’s struggling power play.

Another good possibility is the Florida Panthers, where Messier and Leetch could reunite with Mike Keenan. The Panthers have a very good young team, and the additions of Messier and Leetch could well be what talented youngsters Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss, and Jay Bouwmeester need in order to take the next step forward in their respective careers.

Finally, there’s the idea of Messier riding off into the sunset as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The team is currently $20 million under their reported $33-$35 million budget, and would certainly have the funds to attract one of the franchise’s most popular all-time heroes. Would Messier be willing to take on the massive amounts of travel that such a signing would incur? With his third child due any day, the scenario seems driven more in fantasy than reality.

One thing in all of this is certain, though. The time for Messier and Leetch to make an impact for the Rangers has long since passed, and it would be better for everyone involved if the Blueshirts were to finally make a full, clean break from their 1994 Cup championship team. Each day spent dwelling means another day without progress.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor-in-chief of InsideHockey.com.