The New York Rangers executed a small deal on deadline day. In exchange for Nicolas Aube-Kubel, they sent defenceman Erik Brannstrom to the Buffalo Sabres. In order to get another forward, the Rangers had to give up some defense depth in a minor league deal. As the Rangers continue to bolster the Hartford Wolf Pack for the AHL playoffs in the upcoming months, this is one of the more comprehensible moves to explain.
This had to be completed now rather than the AHL trade deadline in a few days because both players were under NHL contracts. The Rangers acquired Nicolas Aube-Kubel as a throw-in depth defenseman when they acquired J.T. Miller, and he is a good bottom-six option in the event of an injury crisis. Given that the Rangers were attempting to sign J.J. Peterka, acting this late implies that the two teams were concentrating on other agreements, possibly even on their NHL rosters.
Given that he was a member of the Avalanche team that defeated Tampa in 2022, Aube-Kubel is a Stanley Cup champion. You may remember him as the player who dented the cup on the ice while the Avalanche were on the ice in Tampa. He’s bounced around since then, spending time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and Buffalo Sabres since his stint with Colorado. He spent the beginning of his career in Philadelphia.
Brannstrom is a left-shot defenseman that the Rangers landed from the Canucks when they scooped up Miller. He reported to the AHL, and he’s been part of the Wolf Pack since, but he was unlikely to earn an opportunity with the Rangers because the organization signed Carson Soucy from Vancouver. Both players are now eligible to play in the NHL for the rest of the season in exchange for a contract and a position in the league the following year.
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