CHICAGO — It was hard for the Rangers to part ways with one of the core players from the most successful run in franchise history that didn’t include a Stanley Cup. But after seven years, the Blueshirts have moved on from Derek Stepan, trading him and backup goalie Antti Raanta to the Coyotes on Friday morning in exchange for the seventh-overall pick in the draft, as well as 21-year-old right-handed defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.
The move also cleared salary-cap space, giving general manager Jeff Gorton a bevy of options, both in the bubbling trade market and when free agency opens July 1.
“I can’t talk about other players — it’s not free agency yet — but obviously we have money now. We didn’t have it this morning. We have it now,” Gorton said Friday afternoon at the team’s Chicago hotel, just before the draft commenced at United Center and he took Lias Andersson with that No. 7 pick. “My phone rings a little bit more often. There is a little more opportunity when you have cap space. That’s just how it works in this league. That’s a big part of this trade.”
The Rangers have been retooling on the fly now for two years, and the biggest moves have come this offseason, first with the buyout of veteran defenseman Dan Girardi and now with the exit of Stepan. It’s going to be another adjustment, and coach Alain Vigneault knows it.
“They were a big part of our core and big voices, good strong voices in our dressing room,” Vigneault told The Post on the draft floor. “Sometimes, some of the younger guys want to step up a little bit more, but they respect their peers so much they listen. This probably will permit some other guys to become big strong voices.”
There is a hope DeAngelo can contribute right away, but it’s a lot to ask from the Sewell, N.J., native who made his NHL debut this past season and who has had his share of disciplinary problems, including getting suspended three games last year for abuse of an official. But with the right side of their defense where they needed the most help, DeAngelo does fit a need.
“I think he’s a puck-moving, right-handed defenseman that can run a power play, can shoot the puck,” Gorton said of DeAngelo, who had five goals and 14 points in 39 games. “He’s a little different element than what we have.”
Stepan was the Rangers’ second-round pick (No. 51 overall) in 2008, and he had been a regular since 2010, with the Blueshirts making the playoffs every year he was on the team and going to three conference finals and one Stanley Cup final. But the $6.5 million annual cap hit over the next four seasons for the 27-year-old proved to be too much, and his no-trade clause was going to kick in July 1.
“To me, Step has been one of my go-to guys,” Vigneault said. “But in today’s game, you have to expect that.”
It also was something Stepan didn’t seem to take too personally.
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“In this sport, the more I’ve gone through it, the less surprises me,” Stepan said on a conference call when asked about being traded. “It’s something that as an organization, the Rangers feel that — we’ve had some really good hockey teams, we’ve been really close, but in order for them to take that extra step over the hump, they have to make some moves.”
That also included moving Raanta, with Arizona demanding him as part of the deal to be their No. 1 goalie. Gorton said the backup market is flush for him to find a replacement.
The moves left the Rangers with a lot of questions, especially at center. But after they sign restricted free agents Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast, they’re going to enter free agency with something along the lines of $12 million-$15 million of salary-cap space. Of course, the talk turns to Kevin Shattenkirk, the best right-handed defenseman set to be on the free-agent market, who grew up a Rangers fan in New Rochelle.
But he is one option among many now that Gorton has the room to operate.
“I think it’s draft day,” Gorton said. “Free agency hasn’t happened. There’s a lot of opportunity to improve your team going forward. I’m sure there’s a lot of speculation about our team and what it looks like, but it’s hard to say what we’re going to look like right now. A lot of different things on the table.”