Senators deal Motte to Rangers for Julien Gauthier
It’s done. The Ottawa Senators have officially declared themselves as sellers at this year’s trade deadline. The Senators have sent pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Motte to the New York Rangers. Motte’s return is a conditional 7th-round pick this year and depth winger Julien Gauthier.
Tyler Motte…
I’ve gone on the record to say that I’ve been a fan of Tyler Motte’s game, and I liked the impact he brought to the Sens. Motte scored 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 38 games this year. Right off the bat, those numbers don’t paint a fair picture of Motte. Sure his scoring has been underwhelming, but his impact is on the defensive side of the game. Motte’s a speedy winger who plays a sound shutdown game and compliments the bottom 6 tremendously. Motte going back to the Rangers after his short time there last season is not a surprise, he gelled greatly in their bottom 6, and adds to the Ranger’s trade deadline acquisitions.
The Return
Trade announcement: The #Sens have acquired forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2023 from the @NYRangers in exchange for forward Tyler Motte. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/rTXRCUWUH1
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) February 19, 2023
The Senators have acquired depth forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round draft pick this year. Let’s start by breaking down the draft pick. If the New York Rangers make it past the first round in this year’s playoffs, that seventh-round pick gets upgraded to the lowest of New York’s and Winnnipeg’s sixth-round picks. Next is Julien Gauthier. Gauthier is a depth winger that has never scored more than 9 points in one season. He isn’t much use defensively either, he’s just a body. I expect him to slot on either the third or fourth line once in a while.
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In Conclusion
I think the clear winner of this trade is the New York Rangers. In my opinion, Motte should have netted at least a third-round pick this year, maybe two of them. In reality, I would have preferred hanging onto him, but if the right trade came along I would have been okay with trading him. This however was not the right trade. I’ll try to be optimistic in saying I hope Gauthier is able to find some gear he hasn’t been able to find quite yet, and earn himself a long-term spot on that fourth line, maybe replacing Austin Watson for next year.