The New York Rangers might not even need to make up a jersey for their newest acquisition.
The Blueshirts welcomed back old friend Tyler Motte on Feb. 19, re-acquiring the versatile, pesky bottom-six forward to bolster their lineup for the playoffs for the second straight year. This time, it was from the Ottawa Senators, who sent the 27-year-old to New York for forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Motte first arrived on Broadway last March 21 as part of a flurry of trade deadline moves, then coming from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick in 2023. His speed, hitting, penalty-killing and edgy forecheck game quickly made him a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden, and he was a key contributor during the Rangers’ unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Final.
An unrestricted free agent after last season, Motte was viewed as an unavoidable salary-cap casualty for the Rangers, but he ended up settling for a one-year, $1.35 million contract with Ottawa. Apparently fans on social media weren’t the only ones pining for Motte during his time away from New York, as general manager Chris Drury was also eager for a return engagement. Given the quick turnaround, it probably isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Rangers’ equipment staff hasn’t disposed of all of Motte’s No. 64 jerseys from last spring.
Rangers Have Missed Motte’s Speed, Edge, Hitting
Motte will re-assume his role from 2021-22, joining a fourth line that was in need of an upgrade. He’ll likely join Barclay Goodrow, with whom he often teamed last season, to give the unit a strong defensive presence. Motte is sure to handle plenty of minutes on the penalty kill as well, a timely development for a team whose penalty killing has slipped to the middle of the pack in the NHL. Nonetheless, he’s coming to a club that’s gone 8-0-2 in its last 10 and sits comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
After picking up Motte, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano and Justin Braun just before last year’s deadline in his first full season as GM, Drury has taken a more proactive approach this season. He’s been determined to get ahead of the trade market, moving quickly on a blockbuster deal to acquire sniper Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola on Feb. 9 – three weeks before the March 3 deadline. The trade for Motte, widely-speculated about over the past couple of days, is another shrewd one for Drury in again acting fast for a player he wanted – and also suggests the Rangers might be looking to make another move.
Motte’s salary fits snugly into the Rangers’ remaining cap space, leaving them with a projected $908,000 at the deadline. That slot is just large enough to add someone like Arizona Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad, a pending UFA with a $900,000 cap hit who is expected to be available. The Rangers, who need better options in the middle of the fourth line, could also create more room by trading Vitali Kravtsov, who makes $875,000 and might be moved before March 3. Waiving current fourth-line center Jake Leschyshyn is also an option to open up space.
Related: Rangers’ Next Trade Needs to Upgrade & Define 4th Line
Gauthier is a tantalizing talent, but the 6-foot-4, 224-pound power winger was never able to carve out a permanent spot in the Rangers’ lineup after being acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2019-20 season. The 21st overall pick in the 2016 draft should get more of an opportunity to develop with the Senators after totaling six goals and three assists in 40 games with the Blueshirts in 2022-23.
The seventh-round pick the Rangers are sending to Ottawa, which has been a disappointment this season after making several splashy offseason moves, elevates to the worse of the Rangers’ two 2023 sixth-rounders if they advance out of the first round of the playoffs.
Motte recorded three goals and six assists in 38 games with the Senators, having missed more than a month in December and January due to injury. Though he played only nine regular-season games with the Rangers before getting hurt last season, he returned for the playoffs and played in 15 games, scoring two goals and endearing himself to the MSG faithful in the process. There seems little doubt they’ll be more than happy to see Motte wearing a Blueshirt again soon – probably starting with the Feb. 20 home game against the Winnipeg Jets.
