The New York Rangers have been struggling to get some consistency and decided to make their first big move by trading away their captain. It is being reported by multiple outlets that the Rangers traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick. The Rangers will receive the lower of the Ducks or Detroit Red Wings’ fourth-round pick in the draft. This may not be the only move coming down the pipe for the New York Rangers so let’s take a closer look at exactly why they felt the need to trade away their captain.
New York Rangers Say Goodbye to Their Captain
The New York Rangers have made the decision to officially start splitting up their core and the captain of the franchise was the first domino to fall. General manager Chris Drury sent a memo saying that the team was open for business and even mentioned Jacob Trouba as a potential trade candidate. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres all were contacting the Rangers for a potential Trouba trade. New York threatened to place him on waivers to negate the 15-team no-trade clause in his contract if they found a suitor that offered them the best return.
Jacob Trouba has been struggling a bit on the ice this season. In 24 games, he has six points (all assists) and a -3 plus-minus. The veteran defenseman is under contract for the Ducks through the 2025-26 season, and Anaheim is taking on all of his $8 million average annual value for his contract. Chris Drury released a statement following the trade in which he thanked Trouba for being the captain of the team for the last three seasons.
“I want to sincerely thank Jacob for his contributions to the Rangers and our community. Jacob has been an example on and off the ice for our organization and played a major role in our success over the last several years. Since coming to New York five years ago, and serving as Captain for the last three seasons, he has demonstrated grit, toughness, and tremendous leadership and we can’t thank Jacob enough for everything he has done for the Rangers.”
What does this mean for the New York Rangers going forward?
The New York Rangers are likely not done making moves after a lackluster start to their season. They currently are fourth in the Metropolitan Division and holding onto the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. After losing six times in regulation over their previous seven games, the team is hitting the reset button with some of their core. With goalie Igor Shesterkin in talks for a contract extension, this frees up the capital if they want but getting a fourth-round pick and a player who has played 141 games in seven seasons on an expiring contract tells you where the Rangers are heading right now.
