The New York Rangers have traded 31-year-old right winger Marian Gaborik, their leading scorer one season ago, to the Columbus Blue Jackets, in exchange for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore and a sixth-round pick, according to reports.
Gaborik has scored nine goals and recorded 10 assists this season, tying him for third-most points on the team with Ryan Callahan. He was fourth on the team in goals scored.
The Rangers are currently mired in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at 17-15-3. They are two points behind the eighth-place New York Islanders, and seventh-place New Jersey Devils.
In exchange for their sometimes-elite scorer, the Rangers received a center (Brassard), a right winger (Dorsett), and a defenseman (Moore), none of whom have scored more than 17 in a season. All three players have spent their entire careers with the Blue Jackets, and are 26 years old or younger.
Brassard is the longest-tenured NHL player of the three Blue Jackets, with a career-high 17 goals during the 2010-2011 season. This is his sixth year in the league, and he has only posted a positive plus-minus once in his career, a 12 in the 2008-2009 season.
Dorsett is a 26-year-old right winger whose career high in goals is 12, set last season. Like Brassard he has only been a net positive for his team once in his career, judging by his plus-minus numbers. He averaged just over 12 minutes of ice time per game in Columbus. John Moore, a 22-year-old defenseman, is essentially a non-factor offensively. He scored two goals last season and has yet to find the net in 17 games this year.
At 15-14-7, the Blue Jackets are 11th in the Western Conference but just one point behind the eighth-place St. Louis Blues. The Blue Jackets are hoping a change in scenery will provide a jolt to the slumping Gaborik, and that he can help change Columbus' -10 point differential between them and their opponents.
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