Day: March 21, 2022

Rangers GM Chris Drury rounded out his first NHL Trade Deadline as General Manager with his biggest move this season, acquiring forward Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets for some picks and prospect Morgan Barron.  The move means that Drury has added four forwards and a defenseman to the existing roster, without giving up a player on the team.

The 6-1 206lb forward can play left wing or center, and is a middle six forward who can add some offense, as well as kill penalties.  The 27 year old native of Michigan, is comfortable playing in all situations, averaging over two minutes each on the PP and PK, as well as almost 15 minutes a night overall.  Perhaps as important to the Rangers, is his ability to win in the faceoff circle, where he averages over 55% both in the offensive and defensive zones, and 54% overall.

In his third move of the day, Chris Drury added fourth line forward Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for a 2023 4th round pick.  Motte marks the third forward that Drury has acquired this deadline, joining wing Frank Vatrano acquired three days ago, and depth forward Nicholas Merkley added from San Jose earlier in the day.

With the addition of Motte, the Rangers have added a hard working center who can play in the bottom six, having averaged just over fourteen minutes a game for the Canucks.  A UFA in the Summer, Motte can kill penalties and helps the defensive side of the game.  Though he’s not a big offensive producer, he is close to his career highs this season, with 7 goals and 15 points both near his best year of 2018-19 where he put up 9 goals and 16 points respectively.

In their second move of the day, the Rangers have acquired 24 year old right wing Nicholas Merkley from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Anthony Bitetto.  Merkley was a former first round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes – 30th overall, but has not been able to establish a role in the NHL, having already played for three separate clubs.

In 41 games with the Coyotes, Devils and Sharks, Merkley is probably best known for his two year stint with the Rangers division rivals, where he played 31 games, with career highs of 2 goals and 8 assists in 27 games last season.

Chris Drury continues to tread cautiously, adding defenseman Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2023 third round pick.  The 34 year old Braun has played for both the Sharks and Flyers, and will be a UFA this Summer.

A right hander, the 6-2 203lb Minnesotan can play both sides, so it remains to be seen what the plans are for getting him into a game.  He’s been primarily used as a second pair defenseman this year, averaging 20:02 of ice time a night, including 2:25 on the penalty kill.  With 5 goals and 11 assists, he also has the ability to add a little offense, though his defensive game is what he’s more known for.