Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported Ducks GM Pat Verbeek offered Rangers GM Chris Drury a package deal including two Ducks forwards for Kappo Kakko and a first-round pick

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. The dust is settling as team landscapes take form for the final six weeks of the 2023-24 season. The Anaheim Ducks made four trades throughout the week before the deadline which included shipping out three veteran roster players (Sam Carrick, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Adam Henrique), two draft picks (2024 fifth-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick), and a young AHL player (Jacob Perreault). Making their way to the Ducks organization were three draft picks (2024 first-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, and 2024 fifth-round pick), a young AHL player (Jan Mysak), and an NHL player (Ben Meyers).

Noticeably absent from any trades was Ducks All-Star forward, Frank Vatrano. Vatrano is having a career year having scored 29 goals and 21 assists in 63 games so far in 2023-24. His contract has a year left after this one and carries a cap hit of $3.65 million. For a contending team in need of precious depth scoring (like several are/were), Vatrano could have been a significant addition.

Reports indicated that several teams had inquired about the 29-year-old Massachusetts native, but Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek had set the acquisition price high. Very high. He likes what Vatrano brings to the Ducks roster on and off the ice and wasn’t willing to move on from him for a less-than-significant return.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported in her column that Pat Verbeek made a significant offer to New York Rangers GM Chris Drury that included Frank Vatrano.

“I’ve heard the Ducks offered the Rangers a package deal a few weeks ago that included Henrique and Vatrano for Kakko and a first-round pick,” Kaplan reported. “The Rangers clearly thought that was too rich for their liking.”

The Rangers came into the deadline with needs at the center and wing positions. Young center Filip Chytil (24) and veteran winger Blake Wheeler (37) sustained injuries that they will not recover from in the 2023-24 season or ensuing playoffs. Reports had understandably linked the Rangers and Ducks as potential trade partners with Anaheim firmly in the “seller” category and New York looking to maximize their contending window with their aging core.

Kappo Kakko (23) had fielded interest after reports surfaced of Chris Drury “taking calls” on the young winger. Kakko was drafted second overall in the 2019 draft and has found the transition to the NHL more difficult than expected. The 6-foot-3 Fin has scored 51 goals and 58 assists in 280 career NHL games. As part of a talented Rangers’ roster, Kakko has found consistency and opportunity to be elusive. A new environment could benefit him, but Drury and the Rangers don’t seem to be interested in moving him for less than what they feel Kakko’s worth.

The Wednesday before the deadline, Adam Henrique was traded to the Edmonton Oilers along with Sam Carrick for a first-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2025.

Shortly after the Henrique deal was announced, the Rangers traded a 2024 second-round pick and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for 29-year-old Swedish center, Alexander Wennberg. Friday as the deadline crept closer, the Rangers sent a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for 27-year-old forward Jack Roslovic. Both Wennberg and Roslovic will be unrestricted free agents on July 1 unless they come to extension agreements with the Rangers.

Both Chris Drury and Pat Verbeek held their ground and stuck to their valuations. Verbeek and the Ducks look to take the next step toward exiting their rebuild starting in the Summer of 2024 and Frank Vatrano now looks to be a major piece of that equation. Many were expecting Drury to make a big splash as the Rangers sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. We’ll soon find out if enough was done on his end to challenge for a Stanley Cup.