In the middle of an intense playoff race, the New York Rangers dealt their most highly skilled offensive player on trade deadline day for three depth forwards and an underachieving defenseman.
This should give their roster the depth, toughness and bottom-six scoring it lacked through the first three quarters of the 2013 season.
The deal sent star forward Marian Gaborik, a seven-time 30-plus goal scorer, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forwards Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, defenseman John Moore and a draft pick (per TSN). One day earlier, the Rangers acquired gritty forward Ryan Clowe from the San Jose Sharks for draft picks.
All of these moves signaled a vote of confidence in head coach John Tortorella, proving that management is behind their coach. More importantly, it shows that they are in favor of his style of play and believe that it can lead the team to a Stanley Cup championship.
The players acquired are the perfect fit in Tortorella's defensive system, because they all block shots, rack up hits, play well defensively, provide bottom-six scoring and can contribute to the penalty kill.
When Rick Nash was acquired from ...
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Article written by Nicholas Goss
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April 5th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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