New York, NY

Rangers GM Todd Westacott delivered on his promise just 48 hours after taking to the media to ask his outraged fanbase for patience following the trade of captain Shea Weber. On Tuesday afternoon the Rangers moved a package of prospect Ryan Pulock, their 2017 1st pick and the 2016 SanJose Sharks 5th round pick for stud defenseman Erik Johnson to fill the roster spot left by Weber. Then late last night the Rangers swung a deal to move winger Jason Pominville and the 2016 Arizona Coyotes 7th round pick for energetic scoring winger Ryan Callahan.

“When we made the decision to trade Shea Weber we knew that we were going to need to find a replacement for our top for defense. We had a lot of different discussions with numerous GMs to see who was available and we finally came down to Erik Johnson as being the best fit in terms of the role we were looking to fill and the cost of the acquisition. We had other names on our shortlist but they just didnt seem to have the right mix of skills to fit what we were looking for. We felt that Erik is an excellent complement to Roman Josi, John Carlson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic in our top 4. He just brings that nice combination of speed and size with the ability to add offensively.”

Erik Johnson arrived in New York late last evening and is expected to make his debut tonight pairing up with John Carlson on the top line.

“Ryan Callahan was someone we were interested in as soon as we heard his name was on the market. We took a look at our second line of Backes, Simmonds and Pominville and although they were all having very respectable seasons, we felt that there was another level that was missing. The idea of a Backes, Simmonds and Callahan line greatly intrigued us and was something we felt could give us an edge down the stretch and into the playoffs. Having those three guys go out there and set the tone is something that could really give the team a bit of a lift when we need it. Callahan is also a guy that can replace some of that leadership we lost when Shea Weber was moved.”

Word out of the Rangers locker room is that some team mates have already labeled a potential line of Backes, Simmonds and Callahan as “The Legion of Boom” after all three players reputation of bringing a ton of energy and hard work to the game. Although the Rangers look to have gotten their big moves out of the way a little before the deadline, there is still the possibility for any upgrade or two on the bottom six once the cap bump comes into play in.