The New York Rangers continue to be busy before the 2022 NHL trade deadline with two more pre-deadline moves. First they acquired Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets. Next, they got Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2023 fourth-round pick.
For New York, these two deals add needed veteran depth to their relatively young lineup. With Copp, they are adding that perfect two-way playoff forward, who is big, tough, and capable of grinding out games when needed. He may not be the most offensively explosive player on the ice, but the energy he brings to the game can help shift the direction of a series in an instant.
As said by Connor Hrabchak of THW:
One of the better fits for Copp is the New York Rangers. Despite their 30-13-4 record, they hold a minus-16.2 expected goal differential, which is bottom-five across the entire NHL. A winger with Copp’s two-way abilities would help in a major way.
Motte is cut from a similar cloth, as he is a big, physical forward who will lay down hits and use his body to block shots. Once again his scoring totals aren’t anything special, but in a fourth-line role, he can bring a lot of experience and grit to the Rangers. Or to put it simply, the exact kind of player you need to win in the playoffs.
Rangers’ Rewarding Young Core at 2022 Deadline
After spending a few seasons as sellers at the trade deadline, the Rangers have once again returned to the market as buyers. They successfully retooled their roster by getting starting talent with their first-round picks at recent drafts, and by trading for and signing needed veteran talent as it came available.
With their balanced roster carrying them to be one of the best in the Eastern Conference, new general manager Chris Drury decided to reward his team by making shrewd additions at the trade deadline. Names like Motte and Copp won’t win you a Stanley Cup on their own, but added to their roster, they could be the perfect finishing piece to put them over the top.
Given where they were at a few seasons ago, even making it out of Round 1 would be a big win for the franchise and a solid justification for these low-risk trades. Considering what other teams are paying for talent, picking up Copp and Motte for that price is well worth it, and it could be the exact depth the team needs to make a run in the postseason.
Eugene Helfrick is a Tampa Bay Lightning writer who is actually from Tampa Bay. He has written about the Lightning for six years, covering everything from their run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, to their crushing first-round exit in 2019, to their redemption in the bubble in 2020. While he is happy to talk about just about anything from cows to cars to video games, hockey will always remain one of his favorite pastimes.