New York Rangers : Ten biggest trade deadline deals
By Jim Madden
Number 10 – the little ball of hate
After the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, the NHL Lockout reduced the season to just 48 games, the shortest season in over 50 years.
After raising their Stanley Cup banner in January to open the season, the Rangers were mired in a goal scoring slump with a weak power play that had them below .500 in late March.
GM Neil Smith was no stranger to the deal wheel and got busy on the phones trying to find some additional scoring punch. With 19 games remaining and the Rangers out of the playoff picture, Smith pulled the trigger on a blockbuster that brought 40 goal scorer Pat Verbeek from the Hartford Whalers in exchange for defensemen Michael Stewart, Glen Featherstone, the Rangers 1st round pick in 1995 and a 4th round pick in 1996.
Verbeek was put on the top line with Mark Messier and Adam Graves and on the #1 power play unit. The top line clicked as Verbeek put up 10 goals (two game winners) and 15 points down the stretch to help the Rangers slide into the final playoff slot in the Eastern Division during the last week of the season. In the playoffs, Verbeek scored 4 goals and 10 points as the Rangers upset the Quebec Nordiques before being swept by the Flyers in the second round.
The following season, Verbeek cracked the 40 goal plateau with his third different NHL team and his 82 points were third most on the team. During his two playoff seasons with the Rangers he scored 19 points in 21 playoff games. Verbeek would leave as a free agent after the 1996 playoffs but his time in New York was memorable and he was a solid acquisition.