Rangers Acquire Stu Bickel From Anaheim

In a relatively minor trade, the Rangers have acquired defenseman Stu Bickel from Anaheim in exchange for defenseman Nigel Williams. Bickel, 24, is 6’4 and 218 lbs, and has played in six games with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch. In those six games, Bickel has put together a line of 0-3-3 with 14 PIMs. Bickel is a typical stay at home defenseman, who has a bit of a mean streak to him. Williams, 22, was initially acquired by the Rangers in exchange for Brian Fahey in the 2009 offseason, and had a line of 0-1-1 with a -3 rating on a terrible Hartford Wolfpack/Connecticut Whale team. Williams had been a locker room cancer, according to Laurie Carr. As per Jesse Rubenstein, Williams had been requesting a trade all year.

This move was made to strengthen the Hartford defense locker room, which has been abysmal an issue this season, by ridding themselves of a clubhouse cancer.

Rangers Trade Fahey for Nigel Williams

The Rangers today traded Brian Fahey, who was somewhere between 6 and 10 on the defensive depth chart, to Colorado for Nigel Williams, another defenseman, a 2nd round draft pick in the 2006 draft. Aside from the fact that Nigel could be the single coolest first name ever, Nigel is a big kid at 6’4 225 lbs and can skate and handle the puck well for a player his size.

The 21 year old finished up his first full season at the professional level, putting up 7-14-21 and 55 PIMS with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.

Fahey, 28, put up a solid season with the Wolfpack last season, putting up 4-20-24 while playing a solid defensive game, and many believe he is NHL ready as a 3rd pairing/7th defenseman.

This trade is nothing to write home about, but I get the feeling one of my buddies will be happy that there is another Nigel on the team.

(h/t to jurgenno88 for pointing this out)