NHL

FIND A JOB FOR MESSIER

WASHINGTON – You walk into the Garden and there’s No. 11. You walk into the Rangers’ practice rink and there’s No. 11.

There’s No. 11, all right, on the banners hanging from the ceiling of the Garden and on a wall of the practice rink signifying the retirement of the Captain’s number.

But Mark Messier himself is conspicuous by his absence . . . not necessarily from the Rangers, but from the NHL. Well, OK, from the Rangers.

Coming up on five years after he played his last game, Messier is on the outside looking in while contemporaries such as Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Al MacInnis and Ron Francis are making their marks in organizations around the league.

“My feeling was to take three of four years to spend with the kids and my family, but I’m ready to get back in the game,” Messier told Slap Shots last week. “Hopefully there will be a position that’s a good fit for me.”

Understand. Messier is not campaigning for anyone’s job. He is not suggesting he should be the next GM. He is not suggesting he should be the next head coach. He is, however, suggesting he’s ready to get to work, and certainly would prefer to get to work for the Rangers.

“It’s hard to say what I would or would not do; to me, it’s a matter of finding the best way for me to contribute,” Messier said. “In the past, I’ve talked about what my wish list might be in establishing a vision for a franchise, but it’s a completely different discussion now that I’m ready to jump into the fray.”

This is no surprise to Glen Sather, for Slap Shots has learned the GM and Messier had a lengthy discussion on the topic last June in Ottawa before the Entry Draft. There’s been no job offer since.

“Obviously, my preference is to work with the Rangers,” said Messier, who is planning to move back to New York next year with his family. “But at the same time, there has to be an open position and it has to be a position that makes sense for both parties.”

The Rangers lack a front office presence on the road. Jim Schoenfeld, the assistant GM, rarely travels to scout games. It’s beyond baffling, but that’s the way it is. Surely that’s a hole Messier could fill.

When Messier announced his retirement at the start of the post-lockout 2005 training camp, he indicated a lack of interest in going behind the bench. But the passage of time has altered his views on the subject.

“I never said no to coaching, but I felt that when I retired, coaching would just be an extension of the leadership position I’d always had, and so I addressed the future more in terms of the wish-list aspect,” Messier said. “Now, though, it’s something I would definitely consider.

“Obviously, it’s a huge responsibility and a major commitment, but it doesn’t seem as daunting.”

This is not a call for the Rangers to replace Tom Renney with Messier. It is not a call for Sather to step away and hand the GM job to Messier. It is not a call for Jim Dolan to anoint Messier as the heir apparent.

It is, however, a call for Sather to make the call that will bring Messier into the organization. The Rangers need him. Goodness knows, Messier the man and Messier the natural hockey resource is a far more valuable presence than his banner.

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Brendan Shanahan always has been about higher learning, but the pursuit of knowledge isn’t what’s brought No. 14 to Harvard.

Rather, the shunned Ranger is skating with Ted Donato‘s Crimson as he ramps up his training regimen in expectation of signing a free-agent contract with an Eastern contender.

We’re told Shanahan has rejected at least one offer from a Western club, and instead has chosen to wait for one of four interested teams in the East to clear enough cap space to get him under contract without restricting other potential moves.

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Coyotes, in severe financial distress and receiving funds from the NHL, cannot make a player move without approval from the league office, Slap Shots has learned.

“The Club has agreed to consult with us in connection with all significant financial transactions, including those relating to players,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail correspondence, confirming reports from several management sources.

larry.brooks@nypost.com