The New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres combine for one final trade involving former first-round pick
Photo credit: ESPN+
The Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers have swapped players in what was a depth trade. Today the Rangers acquired forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel from the Buffalo and sent Erik Brannstrom back in return.
The New York Rangers and Erik Brannstrom parted ways, almost as soon as their short relationship had begun.
The Rangers acquired Brannstrom as part of the trade which sent Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 1st-round pick in return for JT Miller, and Erik Brannstrom.
Now, the Rangers have decided to flip the defenseman who is already tired of packing his bags and sending him upstate to Buffalo.
The news looks rough for Brannstrom, as he gets swapped for a third time.
While the Rangers get a cup-winning bottom-six forward in Nicolas Aube-Kubel who is known for his gritty style of play.
The feisty forward gives it all he has on every shift, but a lack of size limits what he can do at the NHL level. Has never come close to being the point-per-game player he was in junior hockey, but he has some offensive instincts and two-way ability.
This season, Aube-Kubel has played 19 games for the Sabres, scored only 2 points (1 G, 1 A), and played only 12 games with their AHL affiliate the Rochester Americans scoring only 8 points (4 G, 4 A).
More or less, this is a depth move and good for the Rangers if they make it to the postseason and need more bodies in the lineup should an injury arise.
Kubel is a rental, as his $1.5 million dollar contract expires at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Will he make a case to stay in New York?
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
MARS 7 | 1274 ANSWERS The New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres combine for one final trade involving former first-round pick Will forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel be signed by the New York Rangers in July? | ||
| Yes | 443 | 34.8 % |
| No | 831 | 65.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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