Andrew Copp ‘sorry’ about losing Chris Drury the Rangers’ first-round pick

Following the Rangers’ Game 7 victory over the Hurricanes, president and general manager Chris Drury made his way downstairs from the PNC Arena press box to see his team. When he ran into Andrew Copp, who was acquired at the trade deadline, he received an apology.

“Sorry about your first,” Drury recalled Copp telling him — referencing the conditional draft pick the Rangers sent to Winnipeg, which became a first-round pick since Copp played in more than 50 percent of the team’s games and the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals.

Given what Copp has brought to the Rangers, and given that the team has made it this far into the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Drury could not care less about losing his first-round selection.

The first-year GM, promoted to run things after John Davidson and Jeff Gorton were dismissed at the end of last season, has his fingerprints all over this Rangers roster. Knowing the team needed to get tougher and more battle-tested, he brought in Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves and Sammy Blais during the offseason. Knowing they needed more firepower and depth at the trade deadline, he made deals for Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun.

With the exception of Blais, who has missed most of the season with a torn ACL, each of those players has a hand in the Rangers getting to where they are now. And that list omits head coach Gerard Gallant, whom Drury hired to replace David Quinn and whose style of player empowerment has driven the Rangers all season long.

Speaking for the first time since the trade deadline ahead of Wednesday’s Game 1 against the Lightning, Drury said the goal back in October was to get into the playoffs. From there, he reasoned, anything could happen.

It has.

The Rangers, and their never-say-die attitude, are just four wins away from the Stanley Cup Final.

“You guys see it everywhere and I know our players say it, but there certainly has been no quit throughout the season,” Drury said, plugging a marketing slogan that has turned into a statement of fact. “In both series to be able to come back, win some games on the road, take care of games in our building — a resilient bunch that really has had no quit from Day 1.”

When this run does come to its end, Drury will have no shortage of work to do in the offseason. All four trade-deadline acquisitions are hitting unrestricted free agency. So is Ryan Strome, who figures to command a raise from his current $4.5 million average annual value.

“They’ve all contributed, as you know,” Drury said when asked about keeping his deadline acquisitions. “There will be plenty of time for those kind of questions after this is all over, but they certainly fit in well.”