The Rangers added a veteran to their blue line.
We’re all waiting on pins and needles for the New York Rangers to get busy at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline, and the first move appears to be in the books.
The Rangers have reportedly acquired veteran defenseman Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers. Braun, 35, in the final year of his contract and carries a $1.8 million cap hit.
Adding Braun will reportedly cost the Rangers a third-round pick in 2023.
Justin Braun, acquired by NYR, is a veteran shut-down defender and penalty killer who put up strong defensive results in a 2nd pair role on one of the league's worst defensive teams. #NYR pic.twitter.com/w5AUQKbizN
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022
Braun has five goals and 11 assists in 61 games this season. Originally the 201st overall pick in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Braun has appeared in 783 games in his NHL career.
After this addition, the Rangers still have plenty of cap flexibility to add a scorer up front. They’ve been rumored to be looking for someone to add offense to their forward group and have been tied to everything from a fourth-line depth piece to a superstar in the class of Chicago’s Patrick Kane.
This move means the Rangers still have their full compliment of young players/prospects and most of their picks remaining to work with if they want to go after a bigger addition up front.
