Panthers deal Vatrano to Rangers for 4th-round pick

The Florida Panthers are trading forward Frank Vatrano to the New York Rangers for a fourth-round pick in 2022, the teams announced Wednesday.

Vatrano is a pending unrestricted free agent and has a $2.53-million cap hit.

The 28-year-old has been buried in a stacked Panthers attack this season. He's notched 19 points in 49 games while averaging just over 12 minutes per night.

Vatrano posted a career-high 24 goals for Florida in 2018-19.

Frank Vatrano, traded to NYR, is a versatile depth scoring winger who can hold his own at 5v5. #NYR pic.twitter.com/YaRavzuTpL

- JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 16, 2022

The Rangers had their own fourth-rounder as well as the Winnipeg Jets' prior to the trade. The Panthers will receive whichever pick is lower.

New York and Florida are both expected to be buyers leading up to Monday's trade deadline as two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

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