A veteran defenseman changed sweaters Monday as the New York Rangers traded Keith Yandle’s negotiating rights to the Florida Panthers in exchange for two draft picks.
The Rangers received a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, which will be held this Friday and Saturday, as well as a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft.
Yandle is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 after spending the last season-and-a-half with the Rangers. The 29-year-old Milton, Mass., native played in 103 consecutive games for New York following a 2015 trade from the Arizona Coyotes, totaling seven goals and 51 assists over that span.
Yandle’s 42 assists this season led all Rangers players and ranked eighth among NHL defensemen.
The Panthers, who now must sign Yandle before free agency opens, are coming off one of the best seasons in their history, amassing a franchise-record 103 points and winning the Atlantic Division before bowing out in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
