In my trade grade article involving Ben Chiarot I mentioned that the Florida Panthers were involved in another trade earlier that morning. The Florida Panthers came to an agreement with the New York Rangers on a trade involved forward Frank Vatrano. The details of that trade are listed down below.
Florida Panthers Acquire: 2022 4th round pick
New York Rangers Acquire: F Frank Vatrano
Florida Panthers Side
This was a very surprising that this move was made by the Florida Panthers as they are a team that many believe could compete in the Stanley Cup this season. What also made this trade surprising was that Frank Vatrano was coming off of a 2 goal performance against the San Jose Sharks. But looking at his contract I understand why the Florida Panthers made the move to trade him. Vatrano is in the final year of his contract and trading him now would save the Florida Panthers 2.5 million dollars trading Vatrano. Plus it never ever hurts to get more draft capital. Getting more draft capital is a good thing for a team as it can be used to either make trades or select prospects for the future. It is always a win-win getting draft picks.
New York Rangers Side
The New York Rangers have been a lot better than what I thought they were going to be. The team is going to be buyers at the deadline as they are clearly a few weaknesses surrounding the team. One of these weaknesses is that the lack a depth scoring winger on their team, especially on the 3rd or 4th line. Frank Vatrano is definitely a player that the Rangers need to strengthen their team. While Frank Vatrano does have a cap hit of 2.5 million dollars he is going to be worth it if they make a deep playoff push.
Another big benefit to bringing in Frank Vatrano is that he will have a postive effect in the locker room. As many know if you observe social media it is clear that Frank Vatrano and Jacob Trouba are good friends. Below is his tweet hearing the news of the Rangers Acquiring Vatrano.
Jacob Trouba is one of the locker room leaders for the New York Rangers and Frank Vatrano should be a good fit in the culture of the organization. With that and his skills on the ice the Rangers got a good piece to their team that will help in their push for a Stanley Cup.
The Stats in Question
Grades for Frank Vatrano Trade
Florida Panthers: B
New York Rangers: B+
Definitely a win-win trade for both teams. I have to give leverage to the New York Rangers as they fill a need getting a depth piece for there team, a solid scorer for there 3rd or 4th line, and a player who will be good for the locker room. This move was a salary dump for the Panthers and they also acquire a mid round pick to help grow the prospect pool or use in a trade. Overall good move made by New York Rangers GM Chris Drury and Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito.
Hello my name is Nicholas and I am a writer for Moore Than Sports. I am a graduate from Farmingdale State College. Currently I am enrolled at Canisius College going for my Masters Degree in Sports Administration. My favorite sports teams are the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Charlotte Hornets, Buffalo Sabers, New York Rangers, and New York Yankees. I enjoy watching sports, analyzing transactions, scouting football players, and of course writing sports articles.
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