One of the biggest flaws exhibited by the 2006–07 New York Rangers has been a general unwillingness to stand up for one another. While there have been occasional exceptions — Brendan Shanahan engaged in a fight with Washington Capitals enforcer Donald Brashear earlier this season — the Rangers have lacked in toughness, allowing opponents to push them around.

Yesterday, GM Glen Sather took an important step to correct that problem, acquiring Sean Avery from the Los Angeles Kings (along with 19-year-old defenseman John Seymour) in exchange for checking winger Jason Ward and two unsigned prospects, Marc-Andre Cliche and Jan Marek. Marek, selected in the eighth round of the 2003 draft, has scored at a prolific pace for Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the Russian Elite League this season, but didn’t appear to be part of the Blueshirts’ future plans. Cliche, a second round pick in the 2005 draft, has played quite well for the QMJHL’s Lewiston MAINEiacs, but is probably a few years away from regular NHL duty.

In Avery, the Rangers have acquired a player who can make a huge difference immediately, and who combines important traits of two very popular former Rangers. A pest in the mold of Esa Tikkanen, Avery isn’t afraid to drop the gloves à la Tie Domi, and he earned a league-high 257 penalty minutes last season.

Now, there are different schools of thought regarding the importance of fighting in today’s NHL, but there’s certainly some compelling evidence supporting the notion that there is a direct correlation between fighting and winning.

Entering last night’s game with the Red Wings, the Rangers were tied for 19th in the league with 17 fighting majors. In sharp contrast, the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators — the two best teams in the Western Conference — were first and second (with 51 and 30 fighting majors, respectively). And even the diminutive Buffalo Sabres have fought more often than the Rangers (22 times).

Of course, there’s also a very compelling argument to the contrary. The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes’ coach, Peter Laviolette, has a strict “no-fight” policy.

This season, Avery has dropped the gloves nine times, and should for that reason alone immediately become a huge fan favorite with the Rangers’ blue-collar faithful. Just as players like P.J. Stock and Joey Kocur won the hearts of Rangers fans, so too will Avery, who despite measuring just 5-foot-9 rarely backs down from a physical challenge.

In addition to his occasion role as pugilist, Avery also does an excellent job of getting under opponents’ skin, and has in fact drawn more penalties than any other player in the NHL this season. Entering last night’s game, the Rangers were 21st in the league in number of power play opportunities, and it’s reasonable to expect Avery’s presence to make a huge difference.

Able to play both the center and the wing, the versatile Avery has decent hockey skills, and can be expected to contribute offensively as well as physically. He has scored 28 points in 55 games (on pace to exceed his career high of 39 points set in 2005–06), and immediately becomes the fifth highest-scoring forward on the Rangers.

It will be very interesting to see where Rangers coach Tom Renney utilizes Avery. While he would at first blush appear to be a good fit on the team’s checking line, he could potentially step in and become the Blueshirts’ second line center playing alongside Brendan Shanahan.

Of course, Avery’s positive and negative qualities are very closely related. He spends a tremendous amount of time in the penalty box, and has a tendency to fly off the handle. Avery also has a reputation for embellishing infractions against him, and has received numerous fines for diving.

Needless to say, his potential for infuriating officials could be hugely problematic down the stretch, as could his capacity for frustrating coaches. In fact, at the end of last season, Avery was suspended by the Kings after he first refused to participate in a drill and then got into an argument with assistant coach Mark Hardy. Avery and the Kings worked out their differences temporarily, but yesterday’s trade is a strong indication that the wounds never completely healed.

So which Sean Avery will the Rangers get? Will he be the magic elixir on the Blueshirts’ second line, or will he be a huge distraction that ultimately derails the Rangers’ playoff hopes? The possibilities where Avery is concerned are literally endless. Linked to popular Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert, the pair actually appeared together on MTV’s Cribs filmed at Avery’s house, and it’s quite possible that she’ll soon become a regular at Madison Square Garden.

All paparazzi speculation aside, the key to making this trade a success will probably be Shanahan, Avery’s former teammate with the Detroit Red Wings. If Shanahan can help keep the irascible Avery under control, this deal could represent an important turning point for the Rangers, who definitely need a shot of adrenaline following last night’s collapse.

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