One of the nastiest divorces in the history of pro sports has been finalized, and the Philadelphia Flyers jilted superstar Eric Lindros has landed in the arms of the New York Rangers. Only problem is that the fans of the Rangers don't seem to care much for the deal.

Since when are Rangers' fans worried about the future and not willing to take a shot on a star player? The fact of the matter is simple: The Rangers' season is going to be a whole lot more exciting with Eric Lindros in the lineup.

Why not? Since when are Rangers' fans worried about the future and not willing to take a shot on a star player? The fact of the matter is simple: The Rangers' season is going to be a whole lot more exciting with Eric Lindros in the lineup.

The expectation is that Lindros won't be in the lineup very long. Given the Rangers past history with Pat LaFontaine and Jeff Beukeboom, whose careers were ended by concussions, that is reasonable reaction.

However, there is still some debate as to how "damaged" Lindros is because of the six concussions. No doubt when Scott Stevens clobbered his lights out in the 2000 playoffs, it was a very serious incident. But up until then, part of the Lindros concussion patters was that he took the issue of concussions more seriously than most players. That would be natural considering his brother was forced to retire because of them and the Lindros family is at the head of the studies on the damage done by concussions.

On the other hand, his playing it safe with concussions is good news for the team now taking on a chance on him coming back. No player has ever had the depth of understanding about the risk of concussions as Lindros, and his willingness to come back should be an indication about his health.

What the Rangers are getting for their risk is a player who could very quickly re-establish himself among the best in the world. They are also getting a player who should have a chip on his shoulder the size of Nantucket, prepared to prove the Flyers' organization totally wrong.

Presumably, Lindros has learned his lessons about playing with his head down, which led to the concussive hit delivered by Stevens, and previously by the Penguins' Darius Kasparaitis. Lindros might also avoid such situations by being the guy who delivers the big hits, as he did much more often in his early years.

As for those unhappy Rangers fans, take a look at how much more interesting this season is going to be for the Blueshirts. Before this trade, there was really no reason to watch the club.

Now, each game with the Flyers will be an emotional drama; the Devils series will be cranked up further with the Stevens/Lindros story line, and even the Isles with Alexei Yashin and Caps with Jaromir Jagr are given more intrigue with Lindros in the lineup.

Suddenly, the Rangers have gone from a team with very little interest to a team that will be a must-see on television. For the dark side, waiting for Lindros to get hit will be like watching a car race for the wrecks -- and waiting to see if the driver emerges.

From the Flyers end, they got the package they wanted for Lindros. Already fortified by adding Jeremy Roenick, Jiri Dopita and Eric Weinrich, the addition of Jan Hlavac and Johnsson will make than an even more popular selection to reach the Stanley Cup finals, and perhaps win it all.

The Flyers had to make this deal, but before Flyers fans smirk and Rangers fans frown, everybody might do well to consider the best player in this deal is Number 88.

Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN.