So far this season, the Rangers have exceeded all reasonable expectations. Nearly universally projected to be the Atlantic Division’s worst team, they have instead been in first place all but the past two weeks. Playoff no-shows since 1997, the Rangers are perhaps the league’s most important franchise, and their revitalization is crucial to the NHL’s post-lockout growth. Put simply, the Blueshirts have been one of the NHL’s biggest – and most welcome – surprises.

And in a sign that GM Glen Sather is happy with the team’s tremendous progress, he pulled off a trade with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Sunday that brought forward Petr Sykora to Broadway (along with a 2006 fourth-round pick) in exchange for defenseman Maxim Kondratiev. Sykora asked to be traded to the Rangers back in early December, and the long-rumored trade finally came to fruition on Sunday night.

Hockey fans in this area should already be familiar with the 29-year-old Czech forward; he enjoyed his finest seasons playing alongside Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott on the “A Line” with the New Jersey Devils from 1995-2002.Sykora won a Cup with the Devils in 2000,but was traded to Anaheim in the summer of 2002 as part of a seven-player deal that worked out well for both teams.Just nine months later, the Devils and Ducks met in the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Devils were victorious.

In 642 career games, Sykora has tallied 481 points to go along with a very competent +72 rating. A two-time 30-goal scorer and a six-time 20-goal scorer, Sykora’s career statistics yield only one meaningful cause for concern: In 18 games at Madison Square Garden, he has scored only one goal. But now he’ll have the opportunity to play alongside some friendly faces with the Garden’s home team, which should ease the transition. Sykora has referred to fellow Plzen native – and new Rangers teammate – Martin Straka as his childhood hero.

An excellent skater with a very decep tive wrist shot, Sykora will be an excellent addition to the Rangers’ Czechheavy forward corps. The rare player who can be used in literally every game situation, Sykora excels at running the point on the power play. Halfway through the season, the Rangers’ power play ranks just 20th in the league, and it stands to reason that Sykora should provide a much-needed boost.

Of course, any trade in which the Rangers deal a youngster for a veteran must be greeted with some amount of skepticism. In the midst of a long-overdue rebuilding program, there are many good reasons to suggest the Blueshirts should not be reverting to their old ways.

So is this a case of deja vu all over again? Not really. At 29, Sykora still has plenty of hockey left in him. And while Kondratiev is a solid prospect, he may never emerge as a top-tier NHL blueliner. Soon to be 23, the Russian defenseman avoids contact more often than he initiates it, and he has a tendency to make bad decisions with the puck.

Kondratiev still has plenty of time to improve and develop, but the Rangers have other prospects who are better bets to become impact NHLers.Thomas Pock has tallied 27 points in 34 games this season for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, and he appears ready to step in at a moment’s notice. Ivan Baranka, an unheralded second-round pick in 2003, is emerging as a rock on the Wolf Pack’s blue line with his hard-hitting stay-athome defense and solid puck moving skills. And finally, the youngest and the best of the trio is Marc Staal. The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric, Staal is rapidly developing into an excellent two-way defenseman and could be a regular on the Rangers’ blue line as soon as next season.

Given all that, the loss of Kondratiev pales in comparison to the impact Sykora should make. In their very successful first half, 13 of the Rangers’ 20 losses were by a single goal. It’s not a stretch to say that Sykora’s presence on the second line – in place of Steve Rucchin – might have been the difference-maker in five of those games. In particular, Sykora’s skills lend themselves perfectly to 4-on-4 play in overtime and the shootout.

Sather took over the Rangers’ franchise back in 2000, and for the first halfdecade, it appeared he was mailing in his performance, much as many fading stars have done through the years. Things began to change when he initiated a long-overdue rebuilding program with an aggressive purging of star players at the 2004 trade deadline. Though most of the players acquired in that effort are now gone (Kondratiev was a part of the deal that sent Brian Leetch to Toronto), it’s clear the Blueshirts’ modus operandi has finally changed for the better. There is an emphasis on youth, effort, and team chemistry, and the winning attitude now present at Madison Square Garden has provided a much-needed breath of fresh air for the long-suffocating Rangers fans.

And of course, the impact of head coach Tom Renney and the leadership of Jaromir Jagr cannot be overstated. Renney should be a front-runner for the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year, while Jagr is the clear favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP. But the Rangers also know that Jagr turns 34 on February 15, and that they may not have many opportunities to win a championship with him on the ice. That’s why the signing of a difference-maker like Sykora makes more sense today than it would have even two years ago.

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