The deal that brought Aidan Thompson to the Rangers didn’t create the ripple effects that the Artemi Panarin trade did because of who departed the organization. That was only Derrick Pouliot, a 32-year-old defenseman more than two years removed from his last NHL game. It didn’t create the waves like one for, say, Vincent Trocheck, would have because of current NHL players or draft capital the Blueshirts received in return, either.
But if retools are about stacking young talent for what’s next, about the product in the present — with the Rangers still in last place in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday’s match against Calgary — ceding the spotlight to the gradual formation of the next era, then president and general manager Chris Drury accomplished just that with the deal that acquired Thompson from the Blackhawks. He’s a 24-year-old forward and a third-round pick in the 2022 draft capable of playing both center and wing. He was a 20-goal scorer in college who won a national championship with Denver. He’s a self-described 200-foot player capable of playing in a variety of situations. He collected two assists during his AHL Hartford debut Saturday, too.
Thompson’s chance with the Blueshirts likely won’t happen this season, as he navigates the ebbs and flows and growing pains of his first professional campaign. But Thompson, Drury said last week, has showcased offensive upside in the past. The challenge for the Rangers becomes unlocking that for their future, starting with what his former college coach described as Thompson’s “new lease on life” with the Wolf Pack.
“He’s got a really good combination of competitiveness and hockey sense and skill,” Denver head coach David Carle told The Post. “And so I think that allows him to win races on the ice, win puck battles, and when he does get into open ice, he can be very dangerous and cerebral with the puck on his stick.”