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It looks like Jacob Trouba has come to the end of the road with the New York Rangers. The captain will reportedly be scratched on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Chris Drury and the front office look to either trade the veteran or place him on waivers, per The Athletic's Arthur Staple.
Naturally, trade rumors are continuing to swirl regarding the 30-year-old, who has chipped in six assists in 24 games in 2024-25. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported on Friday that at least four teams were interested in acquiring Trouba.
“Among the teams I’ve heard have talked to the NYR about Jacob Trouba include Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo, Columbus,” wrote the hockey insider. “We’ll see what happens today, but Trouba has known for some time this was a strong possibility. Crazy to see it go down this way.”
Shortly after, TSN's Darren Dreger asserted that, while the Blue Jackets and Wings are involved in a potential deal, the Senators are not. He also included the Anaheim Ducks as a club to watch in the Trouba sweepstakes.
“CBJ, Det and Anaheim among the crop of teams circling around Trouba and the NYR,” wrote Dreger. “Complicated. Nothing going on between the Rangers and Ottawa Senators. Zilch.”
Dreger's colleague Pierre LeBrun said the Rangers “have multiple deals on the table involving Trouba but they all need his consent to waive his modified no-trade. The sense is Trouba was going to sleep on it last night and perhaps decide today.”
Clearly, there is a lot of noise to sift through, although it does seem likely that Trouba has played his last game as a member of the Blueshirts. It's unfortunate that his tenure will end as New York remains mired in a brutal skid.
Jacob Trouba, Rangers in a brutal spot in 2024-25
After winning the President's Trophy in 2023-24, the Rangers looked like contenders again early on this season. New York jumped out to a 12-4-1 record, again leading the Metropolitan Division and looking like one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.
But the wheels have completely fallen off; the Rangers have lost six of their last seven games dating back to November 21, and the underlying numbers have not been great throughout the campaign.
The panic button has now been hit, with multiple reports stating that New York is not only going to trade Trouba, but also gauge the market for veterans Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
It's been a monumental collapse in the span of just a couple weeks, although it's becoming clear Drury doesn't think this roster is a Stanley Cup contender as currently constructed.
Trouba's $8 million won't be easy to get off the books, but will give Drury more flexibility to make a move to shore up the team’s defensive unit. Victor Mancini was already called up from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack to replace Trouba in the lineup.
The Rangers are in a world of hurt right now, and there's no guarantee that trading Trouba will fix things. It'll be interesting to see where the captain ends up as the saga continues.
