With the trade deadline passing at 3PM, the Rangers made the following moves to their roster over the last few weeks:
- Players Acquired: Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, Tyler Motte, Patrick Kane
- Players Traded From The Roster: Sammy Blais, Julien Gauthier, Vitali Kravtsov
- Draft Picks Traded:
- Conditional 2023 1st Round Pick: The later of the Rangers or Dallas’ 2023 First Round Pick
- Conditional 2024 4th Round Pick: Becomes a 2023 Third Round Pick if the Rangers make the 2023 playoffs
- Conditional 2023 7th Round Pick: Becomes the lower of the Rangers or Winnipeg;s 2023 6th round pick if the Rangers make it to the second round of the playoffs.
- Conditional 2023 2nd Round Pick: Becomes either a top-1o protected 2024 First Round Pick or if that pick is in the Top-10, a 2025 First Round Pick if the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
- Conditional 2025 Third Round Pick: The better of the Rangers or Dallas’ Third Round Pick. The Rangers will get Dallas’ 2025 Third Round Pick, upgraded from a 2025 4th Round Pick, if Nils Lundkvist hits 55 total points over this current season and next.
Adam Rotter: Chris Drury went out and filled the biggest holes that the Rangers had. The top two RW spots are filled, the spot next to Braden Schneider is filled and they upgraded on the fourth line. They were able to do all of this at what seems like very minimal cost. We knew that when the Rangers traded Nils Lundkvist for a first round pick that at least one of their two first round picks was going to go for a deadline upgrade and they used it for a player in Vladimir Tarasenko that, over the last two games, is showing the impact player he can be.
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Tyler Motte, as long as he isn’t out after that hit last night, is a more valuable player to this team, where they are and what they needed than Julien Gauthier. It was also time for the Gauthier era to end and rather than either not qualifying him this summer or qualifying him and keeping him as a potential 12/13th forward again next season, the Rangers added a player that fits more into what that role is.
You lose Vitali Kravtsov for basically nothing, but the Rangers are trying to win this season, he didn’t have a spot and clearly didn’t have Gerard Gallant’s trust. And they lose him so that the space could be created to add someone that could be the ultimate difference maker in Patrick Kane. The cost for Kane was minimal, thanks to Kane himself only wanting to come to the Rangers, but a future first rounder should be worth it if the Rangers head back to the Conference Finals and/or beyond. There is also the chance that Kane likes his time in NY and wants to stay and the cost will continue to have been worth it.
Overall Chris Drury and his team have put the Rangers in a position, at least on paper, where they should be able to match up with just about anyone. Are they in the same conversation with the Bruins or possibly Tampa or Carolina? Maybe not yet, but they have that ability, if Igor Shesterkin finds his game, Ryan Lindgren is healthy, the Kids have a playoffs like they did last year and Artemi Panarin elevates his game.
It will be an extremely tough road as they are likely going to have to go through the Devils and Hurricanes and then the Bruins or Tampa/Toronto….and that is even before getting to the West. It will be tough, but they are a much more formidable team than they were a month ago and that, on paper, should be better than last year’s team.