Arizona Coyotes acquire Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta from New York Rangers

The Arizona Coyotes and New York Rangers have swung a deal ahead of the NHL Draft, sending Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for the seventh overall pick and Anthony DeAngelo.

The Arizona Coyotes and New York Rangers pulled off a blockbuster trade prior to the NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers sent center Derek Stepan and backup goalie Antti Raanta to Arizona for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Stepan was third on the Rangers in scoring with 55 points. However, the Rangers were looking to move the 27-year-old since they were eliminated from the playoffs. The Rangers needed to create more cap space after the NHL announced that the salary cap would remain relatively flat. Stepan has four years left on his contract with a cap hit of $6.5 million. In Arizona, Stepan will play on one of Arizona’s top two lines and will help them reach the salary floor.

Raanta is 28 years old but is viewed as a goalie with the upside to potentially be the starter in Arizona. In four seasons as the backup in Chicago and New York, Raanta has a 91.7 save percentage. At the very worse, Raanta is a very affordable backup, making $1 million next season.

Next: Arizona Coyotes part ways with head coach Dave Tippett

The Rangers receive defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. DeAngelo was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NHL draft, 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Prior to last year’s draft, the Lightning sent the offensive defenseman to Arizona for a second-round pick. DeAngelo played 39 games last year recording 14 points. With the Rangers, DeAngelo could become a regular for the team. New York has to replace longtime defenseman Daniel Girardi, who the team recently bought out. While Kevin Klein who is considering retirement. Getting DeAngelo and the seventh pick is an incredible haul for the Rangers who were looking to get rid of Stepan’s contract.