On his conference call Sunday, Ranger president and general manager Glen Sather said he was “confident” defenseman Sandis Ozolinsch would be recover from knee surgery in time for training camp.

Yet, The Daily News’ John Dellapina reported yesterday the high wire defenseman’s joint reconstruction will take at least six months to heal, which puts Ozolinsch on the shelf until around January.

Now, no one can fault Sather for his little fib; executives do it all the time, especially during free agent signing periods, because they want all the leverage they can get. But, not having Ozolinsch does open up a hole on the Ranger defense and hurts the power play unit.

So, unless a forward like newly signed Matt Cullen can quarterback the man advantage, the Blueshirts have a hole to fill and one they can’t break the bank on.

That’s why the rumor out there about Brian Leetch returning makes sense. Yes, he’s 38 and has had a history of injuries in the past few seasons, but when healthy, the Rangers’ all-time leader in assists can still show flashes of his past brilliance.

If coach Tom Renney uses Leetch in limited minutes and saves him offensive moments, then this move can work for the team.

In a perfect situation, either Marc Staal or Thomas Pock would get a chance to show what they are made of, but Staal is only 19 and Renney has shown patience with young players. He will probably be sent back to Juniors for another season, because it’s the philosophy of the organization to put their prized prospects in positions to succeed.

Last season, Renney was hesitant to give the No. 1 goalie job to Henrik Lundqvist until the year was almost half over. Part of the reason was not to lose Kevin Weekes, but mainly the coach wanted to make sure Vezina Trophy finalist’s star was ready to shine on Broadway.

Remember, Lundqvist was 23 and had experience in the World Championships. Staal still has a ways to go to get to even that level.

Which brings us to Pock. Though older than Staal - he’s 24 - the former University of Massachusetts standout only started playing on the backline a few seasons ago. Though he has made great strides in his game, the defenseman is not ready to be the pointman of the Ranger power play.

That means someone needs to be brought in. Unless the situation changed, Leetch probably has limited options available. He wants to stay close to home, which puts him in the Atlantic Division, Boston or Washington. Since Boston already signed a number of players, he probably isn’t going back there and last season he was hesitant to ink a deal with the Ranger rivals in the Atlantic - the Flyers, Devils or Islanders. Washington may be too far away from contending for Leetch’s taste.

That leaves Broadway. Leetch may entertain offers elsewhere, but all things being equal, the former captain will probably choose the place close to home.

Since the defenseman is willing to take a one-year deal, there is no long term commitment either and like Brendan Shanahan, the Blueshirts can cut bait next summer if this doesn’t work out.

Now, if the Rangers bring back No. 2, he - along with Shanahan - will bring leadership to the team and take pressure off Jaromir Jagr, who will inherit the ’C’ this season.

Also, from a public relations standpoint, he is a slam dunk. The Rangers quietly raised ticket prices 10% across the board for next season and instituted a tariff on seats closer to the center of the ice. They will need a some good will - as well as a strong start - if the organization doesn’t want to erase all the positive vibes from last season.

And with the Knicks in shambles, a successful Ranger team is not just wanted by Garden higher-ups, but is mandated.

It may not be a perfect situation, but right now bringing back Brian Leetch is the right move for this Ranger team.