Frank Vatrano making the most of likely short stay with Rangers

From the moment Rangers coach Gerard Gallant put Frank Vatrano together with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, the newcomer has been a perfect fit, and looked like the piece that had been missing from the top line ever since Pavel Buchnevich was traded away last summer.

“Well, he can shoot the puck, I knew that,’’ Gallant said Monday, when asked what he knew about Vatrano before the Rangers acquired him from the Florida Panthers on March 16 for a fourth-round draft pick. “He's fitting in good with those guys, and he's playing good hockey, so there was no surprise. The guy's played in the league . . .  We’ve got pro scouts, they do their jobs. And what they told us he was, that's what he is. And that's what we expected from him.’’

Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden, Vatrano had scored seven goals and 11 points in 19 games since being acquired by the Rangers, and six goals and four assists in the 15 games he played with Kreider and Zibanejad.

But as great as Vatrano seems to be working out on the Rangers’ top line, his time on that line — and on the team — is likely fleeting. The 28-year-old, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s highly unlikely the Blueshirts will be able to fit him in under their salary cap next season.

Vatrano, currently carrying a $2.533 million cap hit, will be one of seven UFAs the Rangers will have this summer, a group including Ryan Strome, fellow trade acquisitions Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and defenseman Justin Braun, and gritty bottom-six forwards Kevin Rooney and Greg McKegg. When the contract extensions signed by Zibanejad and Adam Fox kick in next season, the Rangers will have roughly $67.3 million committed to 16 players, leaving them around $15.2 million in cap space to re-sign their UFAs, plus restricted free agents Kaapo Kakko, Sammy Blais, a backup goalie (Alexandar Georgiev is also an RFA) and a depth defenseman.

Choices are going to have to be made, as there won’t be enough cap space to bring everyone back. And that makes it all the more important for Vatrano to make the best of the present, and the upcoming playoff run.

“My goal here was just don't come here play hockey, help this team win,’’ Vatrano said when asked about his mindset in joining the Rangers. “And that's what I've been trying to do every single night, just bring my intensity and energy. I was fortunate enough to play with some great players — this whole team has great players throughout the lineup — and now that I play with Kreids and Mika, It's obviously great. But like I said, [I’ve] just come here to help this team win hockey games.’’

He's done that already. The Rangers were 13-5-1 since Vatrano joined the team, and 11-3-1 since Gallant put him on the top line. His addition, along with Copp, who came over from Winnipeg at the March 21 trade deadline, has solidified the Rangers’ top two lines heading into the postseason. Copp has served as the right wing on the second line, with Artemi Panarin and Strome.

For Vatrano, whose last goal, April 16, vs. Detroit, was the 100th of his career, his fit with Zibanejad and Kreider has been seamless. He said he hasn’t had to adjust his game in any way to play with his linemates, even though he fancies himself a shooter, and his linemate Kreider had scored a career-high 51 goals before Tuesday.

“They play a fast game, and a simple game,’’ Vatrano said of Kreider and Zibanejad. “I think that's how I play, and I think that's why it's worked out. And like I said all the time, you can't change the way you play if you're playing the top spot [or] dropping down the lineup. You’ve got to bring that game you bring every single night, regardless of where you're playing.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.