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New York Rangers Acquire Taylor Beck in Trade With Oilers

By John Williams

Sep 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Beck (45) watches a shot get past Calgary Flames goaltender Jon Gillies (32) during the third period of a preseason hockey game at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Beck (45) watches a shot get past Calgary Flames goaltender Jon Gillies (32) during the third period of a preseason hockey game at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Wednesday afternoon, the New York Rangers acquired Taylor Beck in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Justin Fontaine.

There was a (minor) trade involving the New York Rangers on Wednesday afternoon before this snoozefest masquerading as the trade deadline ended. It involved Hartford Wolf Pack forward Justin Fontaine going to Canada for forward Taylor Beck.

Fontaine, a former member of the Minnesota Wild’s bottom six, had tallied nine goals and 21 assists for the last-place Wolf Pack through 50 games. Fontaine is a smaller forward, standing in at 5’10” and weighing in at 175 lbs.

He is also 29 years of age and would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. This is the second time in as many days that he have seen the Rangers deal a Hartford player who is about to become a UFA.

Who is Taylor Beck?

Taylor Beck was a third round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2009. Beck is a bit of a bigger forward at 6’2″ and 205 lbs and will become an RFA at season’s end.

A career AHLer, Beck is in the midst of his best ever season in the league. He has tallied 13 goals and 37 assists through 40 games this season with the Oilers AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

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Beck has played in 90 career NHL games, tallying 11 goals, 12 assists and 32 penalty minutes.

This move is solely an AHL move, just like the Bodie trade yesterday. At 25-years-old, maybe there is hope that Beck is a late bloomer and can play some bottom six minutes in the NHL, but with how deep the Rangers are at the forward position, I highly doubt it.

Beck definitely plays a power forward’s game, and his passing ability definitely bodes well for the Rangers younger players of prominence in the minors such as Adam Tambellini, Boo Nieves and Robin Kovacs.

Trade Summary

At least off the bat, this trade looks like an overall win for the Wolf Pack. They are trying to change the culture a bit there by dealing away some older veterans so their’s that. Beck seems to be a much better AHL player than Fontaine, so that definitely helps.

With Fontaine’s NHL experience and solid play in Hartford this year, maybe the Oilers see him as a fit in their bottom six, which, to me, seems like the only real explanation for this trade.

Next: Jesper Fast Out Indefinitely; What's Next?

Time will certainly tell but regardless, neither player was going to suit up for the big club anytime soon, so it appears to be a win for the Wolf Pack. With little time left, it does not appear the Rangers will do anything of significance, but if they do, stay tuned to BlueLineStation.com.

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