Somehow, some way, it just keeps getting worse for the New York Rangers.

The club's four-year race to rock bottom continued on Wednesday with the announcement that star RW Theo Fleury was checking himself into the NHL/NHLPA's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. Sources around the team say Fleury has been fighting the problem for some time. Team captain Mark Messier characterized Fleury's latest struggle as "a relapse."

You have to wonder if the Rangers will ever recover. Just two weeks ago, they lost G Mike Richter to a season-ending knee injury. The timing was awful for two reasons. First, Richter had seemed to regain his championship form -- giving the club some hope of making a late playoff run. Second, and more important, Richter was one of the few assets that could bring talent in a trade.

The Rangers' voyage to the bottom of the sea began in the summer of 1997, when the franchise forced Messier out the door by presenting him with a huge pay cut (after he had led the team in most offensive catagories during the '96-97 season). Once Messier left for Vancouver, the club tried to steal Joe Sakic (via Group II free agency) from Colorado. The Avs, though, found the money to match the Rangers' offer, then faxed the finger to New York.

Since then, nothing the club has tried has turned out. Big money was spent/wasted. Players have come and gone. Coaches were fired. Late last season, the team absolutely quit down the stretch, going 1-11-2 in its final 14 games, missing the playoffs for the third straight year. The embarrassing stretch climaxed with the firing of longtime GM Neil Smith, whose short-sighted decision-making helped push the franchise into its current pathetic state.

Rock bottom, it seemed, had been hit.

During the summer, the club hired smarter-than-you GM Glen Sather -- who, by the way, is suffering through his ninth consecutive sub .500 season. (Without Slats, Edmonton is currently six games over .500.) Sather brought in a new coach, Ron Low, and brought back Messier.

But on the ice, nothing changed.

After a decent start, the Rangers began another descent. Sather would love to make a bunch of deals to change his bad mix. Unfortunately, no one (with any clue) will offer him anything of value for his overpriced veterans. So, like a used-car salesman trying to unload a lemon, Sather keeps working the phones, looking for a sucker.

So far, no takers.

Eventually, Sather will do something. Eventually, some of the club's bloated contracts will run their costly course. Eventually, things will get better.

It's got to get better, right?

E.J. Hradek writes puck for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail ej.hradek@espnmag.com.