The New York Rangers rebuild has begun as the club sent veteran defenseman Nick Holden to the Boston Bruins in a trade Tuesday afternoon.
The New York Rangers announced Tuesday afternoon that the club has traded defenseman Nick Holden to the Boston Bruins.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired defenseman Rob O’Gara and a third round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Nick Holden. pic.twitter.com/cjihKfrXUq
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 20, 2018
In return, the Rangers will receive the Bruins’ third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and defenseman Rob O’Gara.
O’Gara was selected by the Bruins in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 11 games in the NHL, eight of them coming this season. In those 11 games, he is a minus four and has yet to record a point. This season in the AHL, O’Gara is a plus 16 with eight points. The 24-year-old defenseman is from Massapequa, New York.
With the addition of the third round pick, the Rangers now have seven draft picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
The Rangers now have seven picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft (NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, NYR 3rd, BOS 3rd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th). #NYR
— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) February 20, 2018
The Rangers acquired Nick Holden in the summer of 2017 for a third-round pick. As the 2016-17 season progressed, the trade had looked like a steal. Holden was playing quality minutes and contributing offensively and defensively. His career high in points came in the 2016-17 season where he put up 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points. Despite having the success in the regular season, Holden struggled mightily in the playoffs. Those struggles were made evident with the Rangers epic collapse against the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
This season, Holden played a majority of his minutes on the first defensive pairing with captain Ryan McDonagh. He did not have the same success as he had in 2016-17 this year. In 55 games, he has scored just 12 points and is a minus three. He never returned to the player he was a year ago where his offense made up for his defense.
Holden will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season. The NHL trade deadline is Monday, February 26 with the Rangers expected to make more moves.
