CHICAGO — He was long in the Rangers’ sights, and then he was in the lineup.
Julien Gauthier made his Blueshirts debut when they beat the Blackhawks 6-3 on Wednesday night, just one day after the big-bodied winger was obtained in a trade with the Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Joey Keane.
Gauthier, 22, was a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) and is known as a goal-scorer — tallying 26 goals in 44 games this season for AHL Charlotte. He stands 6-feet-4, 230 pounds, and showed his good speed when he drove the net and drew a holding penalty on Olli Maatta early in the third period that resulted in a Ryan Strome power-play goal to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
“I thought he played well,” coach David Quinn said. “I thought he did a good job.”
Gauthier is a righty shot who prefers right wing, and that’s where he played on the fourth line with Brett Howden (back at center) and Brendan Lemieux. Quinn said he thought Gauthier got a little more comfortable as the game went on, finishing with one shot on goal in three attempts over 7:18 of ice time.
“He didn’t play a lot of minutes, and I know that can be difficult,” Quinn said. “But I thought he did a good job in feeling more comfortable.”
Gauthier described his game as being a “big guy that can go to the net, skate well and shoot the puck.” He had played his only five NHL games for the Hurricanes this season, and knows he walked into a big opportunity with the Rangers.
“Really young team, and world-class organization. They treat the players well,” Gauthier said. “People want to come here and play, and everybody plays hard.”
The Rangers traded Wednesday night for former Islanders goalie Jean-Francois Berube for future considerations to the Flyers. Berube was playing for AHL Lehigh Valley, and the Rangers needed a replacement for Igor Shesterkin after they recalled him from the Wolf Pack on Jan. 6.
Berube had been part of the Islanders’ awful three-goalie situation in 2016-17, the club having to trade Vegas a boatload just so they would take him in the expansion draft. The 28-year-old appeared in 29 games for Lehigh Valley this season, putting up a 2.56 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage, including three shutouts.
Tony DeAngelo returned from his two-game absence because of a right-shoulder injury, bumping Brendan Smith from the lineup. … Greg McKegg was a healthy scratch up front after playing in the previous 31 consecutive games.
