The Rangers didn’t complete the trade for Pavel Bure until well after yesterday’s skate at Rye had concluded. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a topic of conversation.

“There’s no question he’s a great goal-scorer, and he’s an exciting player to watch,” Theo Fleury said. “But it’s a rumor now. If it happens, it happens.”

Well, it happened, and Bure is headed to the Big Apple, meaning one of the most exhilarating forwards in the NHL will now be performing his theatrics on Broadway. And although speculation about the Russian Rocket first inundated the airwaves more than a week ago, the Bure trade must at least have surprised coach Ron Low.

Asked about the Bure buzz, Low barely raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you can buzz all you want, but I didn’t see too many bees buzz to the hive last year,” Low said, adding that he didn’t think any deal was imminent. “Last year especially there were all kinds of things that were going to happen, and nothing did happen. Nine times out of 10 at the trade deadline, nothing happens.”

Meanwhile, in a surprise move, the Rangers also welcomed Mark Messier back to practice yesterday.

Messier returned to the ice for the first time in three weeks, skating for about 40 minutes. Out since Feb. 13 with a strained left rotator cuff, the Captain is still a longshot to return for any of the season’s final 12 games. But Low believes his 41-year-old center is at least progressing quicker than expected.

“I think he’s a tad ahead [of schedule],” the coach said. “I don’t really know what the schedule is for him, but it’s nice to see him skating.”