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James Dolan has been no stranger to controversy during his time as the owner of the Knicks and the Rangers, and he’s once again ruffled feathers based on a report that claims that second team won’t be able to use a draft pick as leverage thanks to another asset in his portfolio: The Sphere.
The professional sports franchises that call Madison Square Garden home have been governed by James Dolan for more than three decades, and the fact that none of them have managed to secure a championship since he took the reins is a somewhat damning indictment of his approach to managing them.
The billionaire is probably best known for his serial mismanagement of the Knicks, the team he undoubtedly views as his crown jewel and receives the bulk of his attention as a result. With that said, the New York Rangers have also had to deal with their fair share of of headaches over the years thanks to Dolan’s involvement.
Of course, if we’re going to blame the owner for his teams’ woes, then it’s only fair to give him some credit when they perform well. That’s been the case with the Rangers over the course of the current NHL season, as they’re currently sitting atop the Metropolitan Division and all but guaranteed a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It seems like the Rangers will attempt to make some moves ahead of the trade deadline on March 8th to firm up its offense in the hopes of winning a championship for the first time since 1994.
However, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Dolan is apparently unwilling to part with the first-round pick they’ll have in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft because losing it would deprive him of the synergy he’d be able to take advantage of when that event is held at The Sphere in Las Vegas—a building he also owns.
Darren Dreger saying on TSN Insider James Dolan wants to protect the 2024 1st Round pick so that the Rangers can be part of the spotlight at The Sphere that he owns part of. We also made an offer on Elias Lindholm #NYR pic.twitter.com/tXJKQxmRoJ
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) February 6, 2024
Now, you’d think any publicity Dolan would be able to generate by having the Rangers announce a draft pick at The Sphere would pale in comparison to the boost that would come with winning the Stanley Cup, but it seems he views things differently.