All Aboard The Dru-Dru Train! Rangers General Manager Chris Drury Wins at the NHL Trade Deadline; Recap (and “ReCopp”) of Every Trade, Drury Bolsters NYR Core; Keeps Prospects Home, Eyeing the Stanley Cup, Roster Updates, Trouba, Quotes & More

As predicted and expected, not only by me, but by many others across the streets of Rangerstown, USA too; Rangers general manager Chris Drury was a very busy man on March 21st, 2022.

Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. What a time to be alive!

Similar to last night’s blog, where I had no clue where to start, but I knew I had to start with one man (Alexandar Georgiev); I feel the same exact way tonight.

I can open up tonight’s manifesto and NHL Trade Deadline recap a number of ways.

I can tell you that without question, on Monday, my upcoming volume set of books (I’m targeting a September 1st, 2022 release date), books which will cover every trade ever made in franchise history (what the trade was, why the deal was made, what happened after the trade, the general managers involved, etc), definitely saw its page count increase. (As of this writing, I’m currently up to the year of 2005. Seventeen more years to go!)

I could also tell you about the date of March 21st, 1994, exactly 28 years ago today, where then general manager Neil Smith made a bevy of trades, where along the way, he acquired Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish, Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. I could then compare the two dates, where most certainly, Chris Drury gave up less than Neil Smith once did on this date of 3/21.

I could even channel my inner Michael Flatley and throw on my dancing shoes (well I guess I would have to buy a pair of these specialized kicks first, as currently I don’t own a pair – maybe I can borrow Steve Valiquette’s?) and do a victory dance.

After all, from day one of this new regime, aka “The Drury Era,” I’ve been saying that not only would these 2021-22 New York Rangers be good – but they’d make some noise in the playoffs too.

Need proof? Just check out the archives of this site, archives which you can find located on the right-hand of this site.

Need further proof, and don’t have the time to wade through the heavy waters of the rantings of a die-hard fanatic? Check out these tweets from yours truly, and take note of the time-stamps too:



I could even continue on with my merry brand of dancing, and do the “I TOLD YOU SO” act, where need I remind you, for the past 4-6 weeks on this site, I have said the following:

“I see Chris Drury making a major splash, a trade for a bottom six forward, a trade for a depth defenseman, and an AHLer for AHLer trade.”

Heck – I even said the above just last night!

I’m telling you – the eye test never fails, and I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t beaming from ear-to-ear right now as I write these words.

While the analytical community, who are ALWAYS wrong, were selling doom-and-gloom all season, where they said silly things such as “CHRIS DRURY DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING,” and promoting other such falsehoods; once again, we have another win for the eye-test guy!


Don’t let his sullen facial expressions and body language fool you – the Rangers have the right man in the big chair on 33rd and 7th. Photo Credit: NYR

As you probably know by now, and as tonight’s silly blog header photo would suggest (you’d think that after all these years, I’d become more proficient with photoshop, but you’d be wrong, dead-wrong at that!); Chris Drury bolstered his core and reinforced his troops.

Better than that – no more of these made-up and stupid rumors, such as “ALEXIS LAFRENIERE FOR PATRICK KANE,” “KAAPO KAKKO FOR JT MILLER,” and “BRADEN SCHNEIDER FOR JACOB CHYCRUN.”

As noted before on this site, a lot of the rumor mongering was pure junk.

Anyone telling you that they had some source was full of it, including that nauseating fan on social media who claims to have an inside source, you know, the same source that has somehow survived through three different and separate management regimes!

(For what it’s worth, once again, that fan, and his imaginary friend too, batted .000 on all of his speculation, rumors and promises. It’s not even worth putting this guy’s name in print here.)

After all, not one member of the New York Rangers beat reporters had any inkling about ANY of these trades. I’m not making this up – not even Larry Brooks, the only one worth his weight on the beat today, predicted and/or broke today’s trades. Instead, men thousands of miles away in Canada, and as they often do, did.

This just tells me that Drury runs a tight ship, and a ship with no leaks at that.


I thought Chris Drury, during his first trade deadline as general manager, did a tremendous job. Photo Credit: NYR

It’s funny – I never was a huge fan of Chris Drury when he played for the Rangers; but as an executive, I don’t think he has a bigger supporter than me, that is outside of James Dolan – the owner of the club who handsomely pays the former #23 for his dual-role.

Not even a full season into the job, I think it’s safe to say that we can see why Drury was so heralded around the league, where he turned down multiple job offers to serve franchises as their general manager.

Drury played the waiting game, and while he also wanted to remain close to home too; he stuck it out, bid his time, and when it was all said-and-done – he’s made the huge fan favorite, John Davidson, somewhat a distant memory – at least in regards to JD’s time as a Rangers’ executive – and not as a player and broadcaster.

Of course, winning changes everything – but I don’t think Drury was ever going to lose. Not in Year One anyway.

Sure, general managers, just like head coaches, come-and-go; but unlike the head coaches and players that they hire, fire and trade away – general managers usually have some term, before a change becomes warranted.

These are the good times for Chris Drury, whose team is not only exceeding all expectations – but are a legit contender for the Stanley Cup.

While not truly going “ALL IN,” Drury went as far in as he could. He came out of this trade deadline not only as clean as a whistle; but more importantly than that – a winner too.


Remember when the doubters and the ANALytical community were besmirching Drury, and stating that the general manager “should be fired into the sun,” after his deals for Ryan Reaves and Barclay Goodrow? As always, those bozos were proven wrong. Plus, I think we’ll see Reaves and Goodrow display their peak value come playoff time – when the games truly do count. Photo Credit: NYR

Tonight, I will give you the full press releases of every trade that Chris Drury made today. After all, I always do that on this site – especially for posterity/historical purposes.

However, before getting into all of that, and breaking down all of the Rangers new toys one-by-one; I wanted to give you a simple list of what Drury has done since Wednesday – which means that I’m including the Frank Vatrano trade here too.

Here are your latest New York Rangers:

Justin Braun – a depth defenseman.

Andrew Copp – a top nine forward/center who can also play the wing.

Nick Merkley – an AHL right winger who will most likely never see the light of day on Broadway.

Tyler Motte – a bottom six center who can dabble at the wing when needed.

Frank Vatrano – currently the Rangers second line right winger, a spot that he may be holding down until Kaapo Kakko can return, assuming that #24 returns this season.


In exchange, the Rangers didn’t give up much.

The two human beings/players leaving the organization are Morgan Barron (now of the Winnipeg Jets) and Anthony Bitetto (now of the San Jose Sharks).

Both players were AHLers, where Bitetto, closer to retirement than to the start of his career, the hometown kid of Island Park, NY – at least had his big moments for his favorite team.

Barron, who seemed to have potential, just didn’t have a chance of breaking through. At some point, and as the old saying goes – players who are considered as prospects for too long are no longer prospects. They’re busts.

And while Barron is still far-off from that “bust” label – at the same time, you have to give up something in order to get something.

Barron and Bitetto were the two men traded away. Everything else that Drury traded away was the unknown, including:

— A conditional first round pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. (Rangers must qualify for the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, if they don’t – then they will give up a second-round pick of either the 2022 NHL Draft or the 2023 NHL Draft.)

— A fourth-round pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

— A third-round pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

— A fourth round pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

And don’t let this fool you, nor should you undersell this – THAT’S IT.


While I know that this has to be a tough time for Bitetto, his friends and his family; he was just never going to return to the Rangers line-up. I’m glad he had his moments with the team last season, moments that he’ll most certainly remember forever. Photo Credit: M$GN

Every player that Chris Drury acquired today is on an expiring contract. In other words, he didn’t give up much of anything for these rentals, outside of the possibility of a first-round pick – but if the Rangers are in the Eastern Conference Final this year, I could care less about that pick, a pick which would then become the equivalent of an early second round pick anyway.

I think what’s most telling, is that Drury didn’t have to give up any of his prospects, unless you’re a big fan of Morgan Barron.

Nils Lundkvist, Vitali Kravtsov, Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, and whoever else you want to name here, all remain. Ditto Braden Schneider, who some fans got themselves worked up over.

Also remaining on the roster is Alexandar Georgiev, the BULGARIAN BEAST who just came off the best game of his career.

It was reported today, by Emily Kaplan of ESPN, that Georgiev and his agent spoke with Ranger management, where they told him that they’d deal him over the summer (most likely prior to the 2022 NHL Draft).

Georgiev will remain as CZAR IGOR’s back-up for the remainder of the season, and hopefully, after winning the Stanley Cup – then Georgiev will get his chance to start for an NHL club.

And while who knows if Filip Chytil’s name was ever in play, he remains with the team too.

Long story short? The Rangers added players for a playoff run, without sacrificing any of their regulars.

At this time, let’s go through all of these transactions one-by-one. I’ll give you each press release first, and then a general summary of these moves afterwards.

(Of note: I’m posting these press releases in the order that these trades were made.)

Up first, Justin Braun, now formerly of the Flyers.


Photo Credit: NYR

The following comes from https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-acquire-justin-braun/c-332082586?icmp=int_web_nyr_news_rightrail:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired defenseman Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Braun, 35, has tallied five goals and 11 assists for 16 points and a plus-3 rating in 61 games for the Flyers this season. In addition, Braun has recorded 79 hits, a team-high 114 blocked shots and has averaged 20:02 of time on ice this year. His five goals are tied for a career-high mark he originally set in 2017-18 with San Jose.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota native has skated in 783 career NHL games split between the Flyers and Sharks, registering 33 goals and 162 assists for 195 points and a plus-25 rating. Braun is in his third season with the Flyers after coming from San Jose where he played nine years (2010-11 – 2018-19). In 2017-18 with the Sharks, Braun set career-highs in assists (28) and points (33) while ranking second on the team in hits (143), blocked shots (152) and second among Sharks defenseman in points.

The 6-2, 205 pounder has 100 games of playoff experience to his name, tallying three goals and 12 assists for 15 points. He made it past the Second Round of the playoffs in four out of five years from 2016-20. Braun helped the Sharks advance to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final in a playoff year that saw him set career-highs in games played (24), goals (2), assists (5), points (7) and plus-minus (plus-7).

Braun was originally selected by the Sharks in the seventh round, 201st overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.


Here is the Rangers press release on Nick Merkley, courtesy of https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-acquire-nick-merkley/c-332088450?icmp=int_web_nyr_news_rightrail :

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired forward Nick Merkley from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Anthony Bitetto.

Merkley, 24, has recorded one goal and two assists for three points in nine games with the Sharks this season. With the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL), he collected 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points in 43 games this season. On the Barracuda, he ranks tied for first in assists, tied for second in points and sixth in goals.

The Calgary, Alberta native has skated in 41 career NHL games split between the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes, tallying four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. In 185 career AHL contests with the Barracuda, Binghamton Devils and Tucson Roadrunners, he has accumulated 51 goals and 96 assists for 147 points. In 2017-18, Merkley was named to the AHL All-Star Game.

A 5-10, 195 pounder, Merkley played parts of five seasons with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he served as assistant captain in 2016-17. In 2014-15, he helped guide the Rockets to a WHL championship and tallied the most playoff assists that season with 22.

Merkley was originally selected by the Coyotes in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.


Andrew Copp was Drury’s big splash. Photo Credit: NYR

Here’s the press release on Copp, courtesy of https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-acquire-andrew-copp/c-332089562?icmp=int_web_nyr_news_rightrail:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired forward Andrew Copp and a sixth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft from the Winnipeg Jets. In exchange, the Rangers have traded forward Morgan Barron, two conditional second round picks (conditions listed below), and a fifth-round pick in 2023.

  • Conditional second round pick 1 (NYR’s own second round pick in 2022; becomes a first-round pick in 2022 if the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Final and Copp plays in at least 50 percent of New York’s playoff games)
  • Conditional second round pick 2 (either STL’s own second round pick in 2022 or NYR’s own second round pick in 2023)

Copp, 27, has registered 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 56 games with the Jets this season. Among Winnipeg skaters, Copp ranks sixth in goals, seventh in assists, fifth in points, and fourth among Jets forwards in time on ice per game (19:48). Last night, Copp recorded his fourth three-point game of the season.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native has skated in 467 career NHL games, all with Winnipeg, notching 74 goals and 110 assists for 184 points and a plus-56 rating. Copp has recorded double-digit goal totals in each of his last four seasons and 20 or more points in each of his last five seasons. In 2020-21, the 6-1, 206 pounder established career highs for goals (15), assists (24), points (39), power play goals (6), and power play assists (6). In the past two seasons combined, he ranks fifth on Winnipeg in points (74) and assists (46), and sixth in goals (28). His nine power play goals since 2020-21 rank fourth on the Jets.

Internationally, Copp has represented the United States in several tournaments, including the 2017 and 2014 IIHF World Championship and the 2012 U-18 World Championship. Copp played two seasons (2010-12) with the U.S. National Development Program where he was teammates with Jacob Trouba and Frank Vatrano.

Copp was originally selected by the Jets in the fourth round, 104th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.


Tyler Motte was the last player that Drury traded for on Monday. Photo Credit: NYR

Finally, here’s the press release regarding Tyler Motte, courtesy of https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-acquire-tyler-motte/c-332089586?icmp=int_web_nyr_news_rightrail :

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired forward Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Motte, 27, has recorded seven goals and eight assists for 15 points and a plus-3 rating in 49 games with the Canucks this season. His eight assists are a career-high and his 15 points are the second most in a single season in his career. He ranks fifth on the Canucks with 90 hits, sixth in blocked shots (51) and tied for sixth in takeaways (27).

The St. Clair, Michigan native has skated in 260 career NHL games with the Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chicago Blackhawks, registering 35 goals and 27 assists for 62 points. Since 2017-18, Motte leads all Canucks skaters with 555 hits. Last season, Motte led all Canucks skaters in hits (100) despite missing 32 games due to injury. In 2020-21, he was awarded the Fred J. Hume Award as “Unsung Hero” as voted by the Canucks fans and was also named the winner of the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Award for “Community Leadership”.

A 5-10, 192 pounder, Motte began his career with the Blackhawks, the team that drafted him with a fourth round selection, 121st overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft. On June 23, 2017, he was traded to the Blue Jackets along with Artemi Panarin. After playing 31 games with Columbus, he was traded to Vancouver on February 26, 2018 where he spent his last five seasons.

Prior to going pro, Motte played three seasons for the University of Michigan (2013-14 – 2015-16), notching 105 points (50G-55A) in 107 games. In 2015-16, he was named a Hobey Baker Award (top collegiate player) finalist after recording 32 goals and 24 assists for 56 points in 38 games for the Big Ten Champion Wolverines.

Internationally, Motte represented the United States at several tournaments including the 2016 IIHF World Championship and 2015 World Junior Championship.


It’s like Christmas Day for head coach Gerard Gallant, as “The Turk” is now tasked with finding the winning formula.

As you’ve probably ascertained already – I am thrilled with all of these moves.

That stated, I’m not one for the “PROPOZED LINEZ” shit, although in this instance, I understand the excitement. I won’t knock anyone for trying to predict what Gallant’s line-up will be. After all, we’re in-season. I just can’t stand when people are plastering me with their “PROPOZED LINEZ” in July and August!

This is my way of telling you that I’ll worry about the lines tomorrow. I remain loyal, and I’ll be fine with whatever Gallant does. He’s the one that’s there 24/7 with these guys and he’s the one that knows these players the best.

I do want to mention that following these trades from Monday, Chris Drury held a press conference with the worthless members of the Rangers beat, where I say the word “worthless” tongue-in-cheek (and this excludes Brooks here), only because none of these people broke one trade today.

Of course, if you can get paid to write three paragraphs, transcribe quotes and tell your readers what you ate for dinner – it’s good work if you can get it. My hat is off to them!

I know I say this every time a situation like this occurs; but yep, the Rangers have access to this thing called the M$G Networks. Rather than showing us Drury’s press conference, M$GN opted to show a repeat of the excruciatingly brutal JB Smoove show, a show that also features JB Smoove gambling ads during commercial breaks.

I also heard that there is this new technology out there called “YouTube,” where people can live-stream themselves to the public. So much for that. (I expect that Drury’s press conference, hours upon completion, will eventually be uploaded there.)

I do my crying and belly-aching here, in order to tell you the highlights of what Drury said on Monday, highlights that the New York Post reported:

— Both Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney remain on the IR, where both players will miss the rest of March. They may even miss the first two weeks of April, if not longer than that, too.

— Drury wouldn’t comment on Kravtsov’s situation, nor on the Ryan Strome contract talks.

— Drury said the line-up is for Gallant to decide. (And as it should be.)

— Drury went out of his way to praise Nils Lundkvist by name, pretty much saying what I said from day one – this move from Europe to North America is a huge transition for him. (Drury didn’t double-down on my original opinion – Lundkvist should’ve began his career in Hartford.)

— Drury also praised all of his new players by name and talked all of them up.

To me, the biggest news out of what Drury said is the stuff regarding Kakko and Rooney. We’ll see what Gallant does with his second line tomorrow, but it will be interesting to see if Kakko returns there once ready – assuming that he returns sometime this season.

Previously, Gallant had said that once Rooney returns, he’d be placed right back onto the fourth line. We’ll see what happens with that situation eventually too.


It’s going to be interesting to see where Kakko fits in once he’s able to return to action.

The next few days are going to be interesting for Greg McKegg, Julien Gauthier and Johnny Brodzinski – perhaps the three “losers” of Drury’s recent transactions.

Of the three, I’d imagine McKegg, because of his penalty killing, will still play – but I can’t imagine him being a regular anymore.

In addition, I just don’t see where Gauthier fits in. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Brodzinski hangs around as a “black ace” – even if he’s currently the captain of the Wolfpack.

Again, Gallant will soon answer these questions for us.


Justin Braun, who Drury first traded for on Monday (this trade deadline felt like the 2018 trade deadline, as you just waited-and-waited until the last second to find out what the big splash trade would be, which on this date, turned out to be Andrew Copp), is a perfect addition to this Rangers roster.

The rearguard has had a stellar season on a bad Flyers team.

I don’t want to keep patting myself on the back here, but when Drury first made this trade, Ranger fans, including friend of the blog, the strange Derek “NO FLEX,” were crying tears, saying such things as “THAT’S IT?” and “THIS IS A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE COMMITTED ON BRADEN SCHNEIDER!”

The way some fans overreact, and how they never display any patience, always makes me laugh. To me, this trade felt like the first domino of many – and that’s exactly what happened.

Again, Gallant will be making the decisions and blah-blah-blah; but I envision Braun rotating in-and-out of the line-up as the Rangers make their march to the playoffs. Maybe Fox gets a breather. Maybe Schneider gets a day of rest. And heck, Braun, who can play both sides, could even give Nemeth a spell too.

Plus – who knows? Maybe Gallant dabbles with another line-up of eleven forwards and seven defensemen again.

To me, Braun is an insurance policy for this team. He’s here in case someone gets hurt, and really, you need as much depth at the position as possible. I much rather have him as an option come playoff time, than having to rely on Jones or Lundkvist as a fill-in.

Seriously, for all of the tears that I saw on social media at the time of this trade, and maybe because it’s been a while – it’s like the majority of the fan base forgot how the playoffs work. You need black aces. You need insurance. You need depth. Braun checks all of the boxes – or so I say!


Andrew Copp and Jacob Trouba have a long history together. Photo Credit: NHL.com

As talked about several blogs ago, Andrew Copp and Jacob Trouba are good friends.

Not only did the two play together in Manitoba, but prior to that – they also played together in the U.S. juniors program, as well as at the University of Michigan.

Similar to Frank Vatrano, Copp will see a friendly face in #8.

While I don’t want to suggest that this trade was a way to “placate” Trouba or anything like that; what I do want to convey is that this trade just helps the locker room chemistry. I also think it shows you the value of Trouba, that the Rangers are adding his friends, who like Trouba, are talented themselves, to the roster.

Sure, there will be a transition period for these guys, but having Trouba there makes it easier for both Vatrano (who is currently living on Trouba’s couch, or likelier than that – his guest bedroom) and Copp.

Copp should help the Rangers in a multitude of ways, where he can bounce around the second and third lines, either as a center and/or a winger. Again, Gallant’s choice.

I also think Trouba’s relationship with Copp made the now-former Jet a more attractive option than Rickard Rakell, who the Ducks traded to Pittsburgh on Monday.

For a team that has struggled to score goals, Copp should help the Rangers improve in this department.


I have a pretty good feeling that you won’t see Dryden Hunt on the second line any time soon. Remember when fans thought this would always be the case? As I’ve been saying – Patience, Patience, Patience! Photo Credit: NYR

Tyler Motte is similar to Dryden Hunt, where he will most likely fit in best with the bottom six.

Perhaps similar to the days of Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett – these two may become interchangeable.

Motte is now another gritty force that Gallant can employ when needed.

After dealing with AHLers, COVID-19 and injuries – it’s nice to see Gallant finally have some real options, rather than being forced to play guys out of necessity.


I can’t stress enough, and I’m going on record here – I thought Drury hit a grand slam home run, scored a hat trick and scored an overtime touchdown today. All of these moves only increases the Rangers odds at the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers are much better today, than they were just 24 hours ago.

I know that some people wanted Drury to make a sexier splash – but I doubt that Patrick Kane, JT Miller or whoever else people were fantasizing about, was ever going to happen. In the case of Miller – once the Canucks got hot, and similar to Dallas and Joe Pavelski – that was the end of that.

In somewhat Rangers-related news, since after all, Amanda Kessel is a team ambassador; Phil Kessel’s sister tweeted out the following on Monday:


From day one, I didn’t understand the Jacob Chychrun rumors, because he can be the face of a young team, which Arizona is, especially since he has a team-friendly contract. Conversely, I thought Phil Kessel was definitely a goner from the desert, especially when it was reported that he could’ve been had for a fourth-round pick.

Perhaps the birth of his new child weighed-in here, as maybe Kessel didn’t want to leave home at this time. As a two-time Cup champ; it’s not like he’s in Cup chasing mode, like Claude Giroux currently is, and like how many other players have done so in the past.

As far as any other non-Ranger trades that I want to quickly brush on before going home here – I was shocked that the Minnesota Wild traded for Marc-Andre Fleury. I knew that this was rumored over the weekend, but I thought Colorado, Toronto or Edmonton would’ve played around with their salary caps to make it happen.

As stated in the preseason – the Minnesota Wild are my darkhorse team to win the Western Conference. MAF will make them better, even if yours truly, a big fan of Cam Talbot, knows that this trade isn’t the best for the “GOALBUSTER,” a #33 who still has one more year left on his contract after this season. (MAF’s deal expires at the end of this season.)

The Colorado Avalanche made a ton of splashes on Monday, where I think they didn’t address their biggest need – goaltending. Like the Leafs always exiting the playoffs in the first round – I see the Avalanche having history repeat itself on them again – another second-round exit.


As the gold medalist Kurt Angle once said – “It’s true. It’s damn true!” Photo Credit: NYR

Today was a BIG WIN for Ranger fans. Enjoy it. I know I will!

PLUGS time!


The hardcover version of my book, available now at Amazon.com

The first plug of tonight’s blog – the mandatory plug for my new book, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden”.

As mentioned previously, the book is now available in hardcover, in paperback and in Kindle formats. To purchase a copy of the book, visit this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rangers-Rafters-Madison-Square-Garden-ebook/dp/B09CM5N2WD

For those still looking for signed paperback versions of the book, I have re-ordered more copies. I now have 2 signed copies for sale at $25 a pop (includes shipping price) through me directly. Here is all the information on that:

Order “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” Book Today


Here are my last few blogs, in case you missed them:

NYR/CAR 3/20 Review: THE BULGARIAN BEAST Alexandar Georgiev Carries Tired Rangers; Posts a 44 Save Shutout, Eye Test Prevails Over Analytics Again, Rangers Ace Huge Weekend Test; Chris Drury Up Next, Gallant, Trades, Standings, M$GN & More


NYR/TBL 3/19 Review: Lightning Crashes; Third Line Makes Two-Time Cup Champs Cry, Rangers Sixth Power-Play a Charm; Reaves Defends Attempt at Igor’s Harm, 60 Minute Playoff Vibe Victory, Gallant Does It Again, NHL Trades, Epileptic Seizure Provider Network (ESPN) & More


NYR/NYI 3/17 Review: Live from M$G! NHL Officials Ruin an Amazing Goaltender’s Duel & Entertaining Game; No Luck of the Irish for the Rangers, CK40, Frank Vatrano Trade, A Poor Soul with Brown Stains, DQ, Holland, Trade Market Heating Up, The Garden is Back & More


If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:


The Rangers play tomorrow night in New Jersey, where P.K. Slewban remains as a Devil. I hope Barclay Goodrow kicks his ass again!

Up next: a Battle of the Hudson rematch, with the Devils of the disgusting Newark, NJ.

As always here, thanks for reading and…

LET’S GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

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10 thoughts on “All Aboard The Dru-Dru Train! Rangers General Manager Chris Drury Wins at the NHL Trade Deadline; Recap (and “ReCopp”) of Every Trade, Drury Bolsters NYR Core; Keeps Prospects Home, Eyeing the Stanley Cup, Roster Updates, Trouba, Quotes & More

  1. Well they did not mention the Copp deal till after the deadline so they got me there, he looks like a good addition and they added some depth so it looks ok plus nobody went the other way and that was a relief.

    Next up……Devils…….P.K. (Sweet Su of the Slew) Subban

    1. Said it the whole way – something big was going to happen at 2:59PM. Felt like 2018 all over again, but it was nice to be a buyer and not a seller this time!

  2. Drury did exactly what I hoped he’d do- give the team a much better shot this year but still hang on to his assets for runs in the next years to come. The Rangers have (at least) a 3 year window to win the Cup. There was no need to go “all in” here with the high priced, underwhelming trade candidates available this year. Copp and Motte add more sandpaper to an already gritty team. Braun eats some of Fox’s inflated minutes. These moves targeted weaknesses and were very well calculated. Drury had an advantage in that he had the space to take on the full cap hit on any acquisition he traded for. He used that bullet to perfection. I liked Drury before today but I had my doubts about how much influence Dolan had here. Now, like you say, I’m 100% on the Drury train.

    1. I don’t even think there was a high priced top free agent to be had. I guess MAF, but NYR weren’t going to be involved with that. I guess Giroux was kind of big, but he was never coming here anyway.

      And I think the window is open for a while with Igor in net and Fox on defense. I know tonight’s loss to the Devils sucked, but I’m not worried about it.

  3. What a shitestorm!

    The less said the better about that one.

    Jimmy Vesey looked a bit improved on the Devils.

    Could it be because Sour Sue (I Blow For The Blue) Sarandon is no longer sapping his mojo?

      1. Possibly but I doubt if Sour Sue is getting any free drinks from Jimmy V anymore!

        heh

        The Rangers need a new female celebrity groupie, someone say at least a little less……..geriatric?……….I mean these are young guys and surely they would prefer a female that is closer to their own age……….say someone under 65?

        I have a great candidate, how about that gal I was supposed to go on a date with to a Ranger game at MSG?……..she broke it off after I sent her a picture of myself telling me I am not attractive enough for her tastes……..sniffle but that’s ok because I would not go out with a gal who is so hung up on their own beuty…….anyway she is a huge Ranger fan and a most recent USA Today Woman of the Year award winner, I am sure she would be happy to fill that role for the team and keep the UFA contracts flowing for the Rangers!

        1. “Sour Sue” lol.

          They used to have Margot Robbie there, but that was ages ago. You never see that blonde haired chef there either anymore.

  4. So much for the post Ranger victory euphoria…….man I figured this game was going to be a lock and I suspect so did the Rangers which is probably why it was a disaster instead.

    Well if you need cheering up here is a compilation of the 2 funniest characters on Chewin the Fat…….the brouges are especially thick on CTF, they say they toned that down for Still Game but even if you don’t catch every word it is still funny.

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