The New York Rangers have beefed up their blueline, acquiring defenseman Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2023 third-round draft pick.
We'd been waiting to see what the Rangers' first notable move of the trade deadline would be, and it addresses an obvious need for the club. Let's see how the GMs did:
New York Rangers: A-
The Rangers needed defensive depth, and they needed it to come cheap. General manager Chris Drury found both things in Braun.
Like most contenders, New York is up against the salary cap. Braun is a pending unrestricted free agent clocking in with a team-friendly $1.8 million cap hit. He's the ideal short-term solution.
What New York requires of Braun is to stabilize its back end and give Igor Shesterkin a little help. The Rangers average over 32 shots against per game, the most by any team in playoff position. If not for the Vezina-caliber season Shesterkin is having, New York almost certainly wouldn't be so well positioned in the standings.
That's where Braun's braun comes in (see what I did there?). The 35-year-old right-shot defenseman won't do much offensively (he has five goals and 16 points in 51 games this season), but he's a shutdown guy who can contribute on the penalty kill (averaging 2 minutes, 25 seconds short-handed a night) and succeed in a second or third pairing spot.
Braun brings everything New York has been looking for to shore up its blueline for a playoff run. He'll push other players on the roster, too, and Braun's ability to play up or down the lineup provides a cushion if the Rangers wind up battling injury issues.
Philadelphia Flyers: B
The Flyers are barreling toward a rebuild and clearly Braun wasn't about to be part of that future. The fact GM Chuck Fletcher could get a decent draft pick without retaining any salary is a good look.
This gives Philadelphia seven picks in the 2023 draft, to go with six in 2022. Both will be critical opportunities for the franchise to put itself back together following this dismal campaign.