NHL Trade: Rangers acquire two draft picks for Keith Yandle

The New York Rangers acquired two late draft picks from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Keith Yandle.

With the NHL Draft and free agency fast approaching, it’s very clear that teams are trying to make a big splash to get the offseason going. There were already two big deals made when the Buffalo Sabres acquired the rights to Jimmy Vesey, then the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired a goalie in Frederik Andersen.

Now, it appears the Florida Panthers are looking to build on their division-winning season by further bolstering their blue line. They have acquired Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers, and only had to give up a 6th rounder from this year and a conditional 4th rounder next year:

It wasn’t that long ago that Keith Yandle was considered one of the best offensive defensemen in the league. The Arizona Coyotes might not be the best offensive team, but when Yandle played for them, he led the team in points in two consecutive seasons.

However, the Coyotes dealt Yandle to the Rangers with an eye on the future when they got back John Moore, Anthony Duclair, and a second round pick which turned into Oliver Kylington. Yandle had an impressive regular season campaign for the Rangers when he put up five goals and 42 assists, but had a forgettable playoffs as they were bounced out of the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As an impending free agent, it makes sense for the Rangers to trade him rather than lose him for nothing, but only getting back a sixth rounder and a conditional fourth rounder next year is practically the same as losing him for nothing.

It’s not like he had a significant drop off in production, or that he can’t offer a team anything. On the contrary, he’s still a high-end defenseman who’s capable of helping the Panthers now.

The Panthers have focused a lot on bolstering their blue line with young guys like Aaron Ekblad, Alex Petrovic, and Dimitry Kulikov being balanced with savvy veterans in Brian Campbell and Willie Mitchell. In Yandle, the Panthers are adding another experienced defenseman who can help aid the development of their young defenseman while also ensuring the Panthers remain competitive.

For as impressive as winning the Atlantic division last year was, they still have a lot to improve on when they exited the playoffs early. Acquiring Yandle, and giving up practically nothing, is a big step for the Panthers in terms of taking the next step and making a deep playoff run.

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