Towards the end of the 2003–04 season, GM Glen Sather finally gave in to a rebuilding process by trading away Brian Leetch, Alexei Kovalev and eight others for numerous prospects and draft picks. With the retirements of Pavel Bure and Mark Messier, as well as Eric Lindros signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the post-lockout Rangers, under new head coach Tom Renney, moved away from high-priced veterans towards a group of talented young players, such as Petr Prucha, Dominic Moore and Blair Betts. However, the focus of the team remained on veteran superstar Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers were expected to struggle during the 2005–06 season for their eighth consecutive season out of the post-season. For example, "Sports Illustrated" declared them the worst team in the NHL in their season preview, but behind stellar performances by Swedish rookie goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Straka, Michael Nylander, Prucha and Jagr, the Rangers finished the season a record of 44–26–12, their best record since 1993–94.