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The New York Rangers got better on defense at the trade deadline, acquiring Nicolas Aube-Kubel from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Erik Brannstrom, according to NHL insider Lance Lysowski.
Aube-Kubel had been in the minors since the end of January and will probably stay in the AHL after the trade. He appeared in 10 games for the Sabres earlier in the year and had a goal, an assist, 33 hits, and 17 PIM while averaging around nine minutes of ice time.
Aube-Kubel helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 and, since then, has been around the league on several different teams. After playing with the Washington Capitals, Aube-Kubel signed a one-year contract with the Sabres during the summer.
This is a nice pickup for the Rangers, as he's a defensive specialist who doesn't score many points. He will help kill penalties and step in as forward depth. The hope is that the Rangers can make it to the postseason, and Aube-Kubel could be a nice contributor to the team when the games mean the most.
He's also seen as a veteran, playing in 534 games between the NHL and AHL.
The Colorado Avalanche traded Brannstrom to the Vancouver Canucks after training camp before he was traded to the Rangers in January, as he was a part of the J.T. Miller trade. He was with the New York's AHL team and didn't play a game with the Rangers.
With Urho Vaakanainen signing an extension earlier in the day, it didn't make sense for Brannstrom to still be on the team, which probably led to the deal.
Hopefully, both teams come out better in this deal, and both players can help their teams achieve the goals they plan to accomplish before the end of the season. For the Rangers, their side of the deal may add more power to a potential playoff run.
