The New York Rangers play in Anaheim against the Ducks on Friday night. Normally, this matchup is a late-night matchup between two teams with limited history against each other. But this year will be very different. Former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was traded to the Ducks earlier this season, ending a tumultuous run in Manhattan. Trouba spoke with The Athletic's Eric Stephens ahead of the matchup about his time in both cities.
“There’s definitely a bit of – it’s not really relief, because I loved the kind of madness of New York a little bit – but it’s definitely a different vibe,” Trouba told Stephens. “I’m not reading about myself every day in the newspaper, reading about my family. So that’s nice. Yeah, obviously just very different situations but I’ve enjoyed coming here and kind of – relaxing isn’t the right word, but kind of having the time to take a breath and enjoy where I’m at. Kind of have a little bit more of an appreciation of where we want to go.”
Trouba's comments come after a summer full of his personal life in the New York Post. Larry Brooks reported that Trouba did not want to waive his no-trade clause because his wife was a doctor in New York. His tenure with the Ducks has been much quieter than his time with the Rangers.
Article Continues BelowTrouba eventually did waive his no-trade clause, only after Rangers GM Chris Drury threatened to put him on waivers. He insists, “No one feels bad for me. I don’t feel bad for myself. Life’s not always fair. Look at it however you want it.”
The Rangers need every point they can get to sneak into the playoffs after a miserable start to the season. No matter what he says, Trouba certainly knows this and wants to play spoiler on Friday night.