The day after the Rangers scratched forward Ryan Spooner for the second time this season for the team’s 7-5 loss to the Islanders, the club traded the 5-11, 191-pound forward to the Edmonton Oilers for ex-Islander forward Ryan Strome in a straight swap of underachieving players.
Both Spooner, 26, and Strome, 25, had managed just one goal and one assist this season. Spooner has appeared in 16 games, while Strome has played in 18 games. Both teams surely are hoping a change of scenery will work for each player. According to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada, the Rangers are keeping $900,000 per year of Spooner’s salary on their books.