New York Rangers acquire Tyler Motte from Ottawa Senators

The New York Rangers want a second round of Motte Girl Summer, as they’ve re-acquired winger Tyler Motte from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round pick.

Trade announcement: The #Sens have acquired forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2023 from the @NYRangers in exchange for forward Tyler Motte. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/rTXRCUWUH1

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) February 19, 2023

The Senators had announced earlier in the day that Motte would be held out of the lineup on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues out of precaution for a trade. That didn’t even matter, as the Sens ended up making the trade just before the game started.

Motte hasn’t been super productive with just three goals, six assists, and nine points in 38 games for the Sens this year, and his defense has seen a bit of a step back this season, as he had the worst expected goals against per 60 at 5v5 on the Sens with an even 3. Motte is currently on a one-year, $1.35 million contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, a big reason why he was dealt.

This isn’t Motte’s first stint with the Rangers either, as he was one of their trade deadline additions last season. He was held pointless in nine regular season games with them, and scored two goals in 15 playoff games during the Rangers run to the Eastern Conference Final.

In return, the Senators get Julien Gauthier, a 25-year-old winger who was a former first round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. He has just six goals, three assists, and nine points in 40 games this season, and has also struggled defensively in his NHL career so far. He’s currently on a one-year deal with an $800,000 cap hit, and will be a restricted free agent in the summer.

The Senators also get a conditional seventh-round pick in the deal. If the Rangers advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, the pick will be upgraded to a sixth-round pick, and the Sens will get the lower of the Rangers or Jets pick that they have for the 2023 NHL Draft.

With this deal, the Rangers add some more depth to their forward group, particularly on their fourth line. They’ve already upgraded their top six group by trading for Vladimir Tarasenko earlier in the month.

As for the Sens, it’s a sign that they’ve started selling off some pieces at the trade deadline. Their other pending UFAs that they could attempt to trade are Cam Talbot, Travis Hamonic, Austin Watson, Derick Brassard, and Nick Holden. Nikita Zaitsev is another name that’s out there, as he just missed the cut on Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets list last week.