Rangers trade Prucha, Dawes, and Kalinin for D-man Derek Morris
An open-ice body check??? They still have those in the NHL?
After picking up Nik Antropov for a 2nd rounder, the Rangers landed physical defenseman Derek Morris from Phoenix. Morris did not come cheaply, however, as the move sends Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, and Dimitri Kalinin to Phoenix.
Morris is a tough defenseman who is not shy about throwing his weight around.
The move is a clear salary dump for the struggling Phoenix franchise. Kalinin is a UFA at the end of the season, so his expiring contract is actually an asset for the Coyotes. Prucha and Dawes are RFA’s, so that’s even better for Phoenix.
While we here at 5-hole.com are sad to see Prucha and Dawes go, we realize that with the recent arrival of Avery and Antropov, the Rangers were carrying too many wingers. Plus, if the Rangers were going to have any shot at a run in the playoffs, they needed some help on the blue line.
5-hole.com loves Prucha [see here, here, and here] and we wish him all the best in Phoenix. We’re sad to see him go, but it would have been worse to watch him sit through the rest of the season as a healthy scratch and then sign somewhere else in the off-season. Best of luck to Prucha, Dawes, AND Kalinin!
About the author: Marc is a Long Island native and a hockey goalie. He has been a Rangers fan for as long as he can remember, although, in the interest of full disclosure, there was a time during the 1993 playoffs when he vaguely remembers cheering for Pierre Turgeon and the Islanders after the Dale Hunter cheap shot. His favorite Ranger of all time is Mike Richter. Related posts:
