Motte traded to Rangers by Senators for Gauthier

Ottawa received forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, which will become the lower of the Rangers’ or Winnipeg Jets’ sixth-round selection if New York advances past the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Motte can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He agreed to a one-year, $1.35 million contract with the Senators on Sept. 14, 2022, when he left the Rangers as a free agent after helping them reach the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, a six-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while playing a valuable role on the fourth line.

The 27-year-old forward was scratched from the game against the St. Louis Blues at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. He has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 38 games this season, missing 16 with an injury.

Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Motte has 71 points (38 goals, 33 assists) in 307 regular-season games and seven points (six goals, one assist) in 32 playoff games. He had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 58 regular-season games for the Vancouver Canucks and Rangers last season, when he scored two goals in 15 playoff games and was second on New York with 14.26 hits per 60 minutes (minimum five games played).

The Rangers (33-14-9) are third in the Metropolitan Division and have points in 10  consecutive games (8-0-2) after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday ended a seven-game winning streak. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola were traded to New York by the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9 for forward Sammy Blais, defenseman prospect Hunter Skinner and two conditional draft picks.

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on March 3.

Gauthier was traded to the Rangers by the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 18, 2020, for Joey Keane, a defenseman playing for HC Spartak in the Kontinental Hockey League. The 25-year-old has nine points (six goals, three points) in 40 games this season, and 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 136 games with New York.

“Julien Gauthier is a hard-working, good skating winger with a big body who routinely goes to the opponent’s net,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. “His north/south game should be a nice addition to our lineup.”