McSorley had two stints in Edmonton, including three years in the Oilers' mid-80s heyday.

The consensus among general managers is that McSorley should be judged by his potential on-ice effectiveness and not by any personal judgment based on what he did to Brashear. McSorley's opportunity to play must be separated from his ability to play.

"I don't have anything against it if someone wants to sign him," said Blues GM Larry Pleau, who has a depth problem at defense with the absence of Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis. Pleau, however, said he didn't have an interest in McSorley.

"My personal view is he did the crime and he's done his time," said Senators boss Marshall Johnston, who was rumored to be interested because McSorley is playing for Ottawa's IHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. But Johnston said last week he isn't pursuing McSorley and doesn't feel his team needs that kind of player -- not person.

And that's why the issue is whether or not McSorley should play: It's time to move beyond the incident that cost McSorley a year of his NHL life and simply view it as a player-personnel issue.

Take a look at his numbers. At the time of the incident in Vancouver, McSorley had played 27 games for the subpar Boston Bruins. In that span, he scored two goals and amassed five points. He was plus-2 with 62 penalty minutes. On paper, he resembled a good No. 5 or No. 6 defenseman on an average, if not underachieving team. He didn't hurt, yet he didn't help too much either. McSorley worked hard, fought opponents' tough guys in a pinch, could play a little forward and made space on the ice for the more-skilled players. His biggest weakness was his foot speed, of which he had clearly lost quite a bit.

Is that enough to help a team and land him a job 12 months later at the age of 37?

"I can't answer that. I don't know," Johnston admitted. "That's the question we asked, and since we couldn't answer that, we decided not to pursue it."

It's not a big gamble for a few reasons. McSorley would come cheap and wouldn't merit -- or demand -- a multiyear contract.

"Someone will look at it as a short-term solution," Waddell said. "I don't think it's a big gamble for a team."

In addition, McSorley has had a good locker-room reputation throughout his career. With the exception of Vancouver, for obvious reasons, very few teams would be ruled out based on cost and in-house opposition.

But elite teams like St. Louis and Ottawa don't need him.

	“	The way he's played all his career -- a hard working guy who gives the physical aspect -- I would think if someone would need that type of player who can play forward or defense, it wouldn't surprise me if some teams would look at him. ”
		— Blues GM Larry Pleau

"The only thing I look at is do I need a player like that in my lineup," Pleau said. "I think we have enough in that role. ... (But) like anything else, late in the year everyone is scrambling to make trades to help themselves, and it wouldn't surprise me if he plays in the NHL."

The elite teams expect to have six defensemen at the top of their game, and it's doubtful McSorley could help them, even in a limited role. The same is true for the lower-end teams like Atlanta. If the team isn't going to the playoffs, why would a general manager like Waddell give McSorley a spot that could be used to develop young talent?

That leaves middle teams, which are vying for a playoff spot. In exchange for a willingness to weather the public-relations hit, McSorley offers a team the experience that comes with his 115 playoff games and 3,381 career penalty minutes. If experienced blueliners are difficult to come by these days, some team could take a shot at McSorley and see what he can do.

But the one present-tense red flag might be McSorley's performance with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the IHL. In McSorley's five games, he has no points and 42 penalty minutes. He needs to produce something in the minors to prove worthy of a shot at the NHL.

"If his skill level is good enough to get him a job," he should get one, according to Thrashers GM Don Waddell.

Time will tell if that's true both for McSorley and an interested NHL team.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.