The Rangers have dealt goaltending prospect Al Montoya and forward Marcel Hossa to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Fredrik Sjostrom, David Leneveu, and Josh Gratton.

I’m not sure if there were still any fans out there that believed Montoya was considered a blue-chip prospect – especially after the former first-round pick lost his job in Hartford this season to the unheralded Miika Wiikman. Nevertheless, this is a blow to a franchise that, at the very least, expected to be able to spin the highly-touted Montoya for a valuable asset in the wake of Henrik Lundqvist’s emergence as a premier NHL netminder.

Instead, the goaltender has been swapped for a few equally under-performing prospects, rendering Montoya, along with Hugh Jessiman, another utter bust of a first-round draft selection in the Glen Sather era. It begs the question why Montoya wasn’t moved sooner, even last season, when Lundvist was so clearly the organization’s franchise goalie.

Thank God for Marc Staal.