Wranglers turn eyes to future

Nick Christensen

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

Let the fire sale begin.

Now 19 points out of a playoff spot following Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Long Beach, Las Vegas Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan pulled the trigger on what he expects to be several moves to try to bolster the team's position for next season.

Gulutzan traded forward Doug Wright and defenseman Regan Darby to Augusta for forward Matt Schmidt and future considerations that he wouldn't disclose.

Wright's departure is a big loss for this year's team. The first player in franchise history to score 20 goals in a season, Wright had 27 goals and 23 assists in 108 games with Las Vegas.

"We're going to keep our core of guys here," Gulutzan said. "Unfortunately this year we may not see any playoff games. We're not going to decimate ourselves; we're going to make moves that make sense for the organization in the long run. As opportunities present themselves we'll make more of them."

In acquiring future considerations, Gulutzan runs the risk of trading for players that won't even be in this league next season. Future considerations generally aren't acquired until the team giving up those players reaches a certain benchmark, such as elimination from playoff contention or acquisition. The trade might not even be completed until after the season ends.

"That's always a concern," Gulutzan said. "You try to trade for younger guys, guys you know will play at this level. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out."

The Wranglers played with just 13 players dressed Wednesday and figure to have at most 15 players able to play in this weekend's series at hapless Victoria. The team's trip to Vancouver Island, which includes a 90-minute ferry ride, began early this morning.

And even though the specter of future trades looms and the season is all but certain to end no later than the April 9 home finale against Alaska, Gulutzan said this isn't a time for his players to hang their heads. Instead, he said, it's a chance to shine.

"You've got 20 games to make yourself a better player," Gulutzan said. "Every night there are NHL scouts in the stands, people are watching. You can tell more about guys when things are going bad than when things are going good."

The Wranglers have 19 games left this season, with the next home game scheduled for March 11 against Fresno.