Rangers Fill Third-Center Need, Acquire Alex Wennberg From Seattle

Wennberg is not a sexy acquisition, but he certainly fills his need. His arrival will allow Jonny Brodzinski to slide down to the fourth line and bolsters the top-nine. The composition of the bottom-six remains to be determined and may be decided on if Drury makes any other deals. New York was rumored to have some interest in  Adam Henrique, but that waned to a certain extent recently. Inclusion of a first rounder from Edmonton as part of a broader deal, including Sam Carrick certainly cooled their ardor. The two and the four is in line with what Vegas paid to acquire Anthony Mantha, with salary retention also part of that deal. Mantha is a scorer, while Wennberg is a playmaker who also can be deployed on the penalty kill.

Seattle is retaining $2.25 of Wennberg’s $4.5 million cap hit, leaving New York with about $2.9 million in LTIR cap space. Although, that’s based on Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom remaining with the parent club. If they are sent down to their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack, add another $1.4 million or so to the total. With a third-line center acquired, the first-line right wing remains the target, along with depth on defense.

With Vladimir Tarasenko moving from Ottawa to Florida today, San Jose’s Anthony Duclair at $3 million in salary may be the primary target for New York. Since Anaheim has retained salary for three players, New York would have to fit in Frank Vatrano’s $3.65 million salary for this year and next without any assistance, making acquiring him a little more of a longshot. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel is a pipe dream and would require a third team to assume cap space to allow a deal to work. Washington’s Joel Edmundson could be an option for depth on the blueline.