As expected, the New York Rangers made a splash at the trade deadline last week, and management had fans on the edge of their seats right up until 3 p.m.. General manager Chris Drury waited until Monday, the day of the deadline, to make four important trades to fill in the missing pieces. They needed bottom six forwards and a piece to bolster the defense, and these roles were filled. The team played together for the first time in a loss to the Devils on March 22. 

Drury’s first move came on March 16, when he sent a 2022 fourth round draft pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Frank Vatrano. In 55 games this year, Vatrano has 23 points, including four already with the Rangers. He has bounced around the middle two forward lines and the top line in his few games with the team. In Friday night’s game, he scored his first goal as a Ranger at Madison Square Garden, and his second and third goals on Sunday to open the scoring against the Buffalo Sabres. After the trade, fans unearthed pictures of Vatrano with his former high school classmate and now teammate, Jacob Trouba. 

The next move the team made was to acquire Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2023 third round draft pick. In 62 games this season, the 35-year-old defenseman generated 16 points, all with the Flyers. The notable Metropolitan Division rivals made the trade a few hours before the deadline and added to their busy deadline after they sent their captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers. Braun played on March 22, but Braden Schneider slotted back into his usual spot replacing Braun in the Rangers’ next two games. 

Later in the day, the team completed a minor trade to send Anthony Bitetto to the San Jose Sharks for forward Nick Merkley. Bitetto has spent his season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, playing 39 games. In nine NHL games this season, Merkely has three points and will likely spend the rest of the season in the AHL with the Wolf Pack. This is an underrated and smart move from the Rangers, getting rid of an unproductive defenseman for a young forward with NHL potential. 

Closer to the deadline, Drury sent a 2023 fourth round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Tyler Motte. In 52 games this season, the young forward has 15 points and nicely fills

the role of a third or fourth line forward for the Blueshirts. He has no points with the Rangers thus far, but his presence on the ice has been felt. In his first three Rangers games, he has 11 hits and two blocked shots and he has shown off his speed on the rush. He wins battles on the boards, which speaks to his determination and hard work on the ice that will positively impact the Rangers, especially in the playoffs. 

In the final move on Monday and the biggest deadline deal for the team, the Rangers acquired Andrew Copp and a 2023 sixth round pick from the Winnipeg Jets, sending them two conditional second round picks and a fifth round pick in the 2023 draft, along with forward Morgan Barron. In 59 games this season, 56 with the Jets, Copp scored 40 points, five of which came with the Rangers. He’s tallied four assists and a goal in his first five games with the blueshirts. This was the deal that Rangers fans were waiting for, as Copp will have an important role in the middle two lines and can apply his playoff experience to a potential Rangers’ playoff run. He becomes yet another addition that has a previous connection to Trouba, as they played together on the Jets for five seasons. 

In a somewhat surprising development, the Rangers decided against trading goalie Alexandar Georgiev, whose overall performance this season has been subpar. Teams looking for goalies were rumored to be in contact with the Rangers about Georgiev, but the Rangers decided against trading him after his stellar 44-save shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes the day before the deadline. Whether he stayed put because of the shutout or not, he remains with the team and will likely serve as the backup to Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season and through a playoff run. 

A week after the deadline, the Copp and Vatrano deals seem to be the ones making the most impact so far. Motte and Braun were great pickups, and Merkley seems to be doing well with the Wolf Pack, registering one goal in three games. They have 16 games left to gain chemistry before the playoffs, but by no means does it seem to be lacking after the past three games.