The New York Rangers acquired defenceman Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick Monday.
Braun, 35, had five goals and 11 assists for 16 points while averaging 20:20 in 61 games for the Flyers this season. Braun is a pending unrestricted free agent and has a cap hit of $1.8 million the rest of this season.
The Flyers aren't in the playoff hunt this year and traded captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers over the weekend.
Braun was held out of Philly's lineup for Sunday's game against the New York Islanders ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
As Shayna Goldman wrote before the trade: "For playoff teams looking for an inexpensive depth option, Braun could be a fit seeing as he’s on the downswing of his career, in an expiring contract. He doesn’t thread the needle offensively, but can absorb tough minutes to ease the workload of other defenders. Or, if paired with a possession player, he can provide some balance with his defensive efforts of blocking shots and battling for loose pucks to help spark plays from his own zone."
Philadelphia now has three third-round picks lined up for 2023, a draft class widely considered deeper than the 2022 draft.
The Rangers, meanwhile, are competing for top spot in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. Braun is a right-shot blueliner who typically plays on his strong side, which means 20-year-old Braden Schneider could be pushed down the lineup. Schneider has been playing on the team's third pairing beside Patrik Nemeth.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Braun was a seventh-round pick by the Sharks in 2007.
Braun has 33 goals and 162 assists for 195 points in 783 career games split between the Sharks and Flyers.
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