Some will say that the Rangers youth movement/rebuild, whichever term you prefer, under general manager Jeff Gorton truly got its start in the summer of 2017. That’s when the popular home-grown center Derek Stepan, along with goaltender Antti Raanta, were shipped off to Arizona in exchange for the 7th overall pick in the June 2017 draft (Lias Andersson) and the talented but troubled young defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
A Fresh Start
The New Jersey-born DeAngelo was the first round pick (19th overall) in the 2014 draft of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts would then send the erratic, charismatic defensemen to the desert in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 2016 draft with whom Tampa would select, ironically, current Ranger blue-liner Libor Hajek.