Sports

SLATS GIVING KEENAN OPEN MIKE – WILL GET CHANCE TO STATE CASE FOR RETURN

The World According to Slats (as of yesterday afternoon):

Amplifying on information reported in yesterday’s Post, Glen Sather in a conference call with the media repeated that he had not offered the head coaching position yet to any individual; said that he believed that Mike Keenan deserved the opportunity to be heard in relation to the job; and, said that he had “strong interest” in free agents

Claude Lemieux and Vladimir Malakhov.

“I think Mike deserves the opportunity to talk about this coaching opportunity,” said Sather, who first spoke with Keenan on Friday and intends to speak with him again in the next day or two. “He won a Stanley Cup and he’s a good coach.

“I’m not condoning anything that happened with the Rangers in the past, but there are things that are better left behind. As a general philosophy I believe people deserve a second chance. Out of respect for Mike, I’m going to give him the opportunity to speak to me about the job.”

While it is widely believed that Sather has zeroed in on former Edmonton coach Ron Low, it’s hard to believe that the GM would go through the charade of speaking to Keenan – and others – with the post filled.

“I have not offered this job to anyone,” said Sather, who said there would be no announcement about the job until at least the middle of next week.

Sather said that he met and had dinner with agent Mike Barnett Tuesday in Banff – where his son will be married on Saturday – to talk about Lemieux, who, The Post has learned, is being courted by six teams, not including the Devils, who apparently have no interest in bringing him back. The Panthers, Canadiens, Coyotes and Sharks are among the interested parties.

“Claude is a terrific competitor, a good player and a good person,” said Sather. “Your interest is always calculated on what the cost is, but at this time I have strong interest in him.”

Similarly, Sather indicated “strong interest” in Malakhov, who is also being courted by the Panthers, Maple Leafs and Red Wings. While the GM has yet to submit a proposal to Lemieux, who is believed in the process of collecting offers, he has talked dollars with Paul Theofanous, who represents Malakhov. “I’d like to have it done one way or the other before the weekend,” Sather said. “I’d like to know by then whether we have him or don’t have him.”

The GM also said he would speak with Stephane Quintal to give the defenseman the opportunity to explain the comments he made late last season about not being enthused about returning to the Rangers for 2000-2001.

“I know things happened that shouldn’t have, but Stephane has been a good player in the past, and you just don’t give good players away,” he said. “I’d like to hear what he has to say; I’m not just going to turn him loose.

“But whatever decision is made is going to be a management decision. It’s not going to be made by the players. The last thing I’m going to do is have the team start running the team.”

Which brings us to Mark Messier.

“I talked to his father twice today,” Sather said. “If we can work out a deal we’re certainly trying to do that.”