The New York Rangers made a huge move on Tuesday, naming star defenseman Jacob Trouba as the team's next captain. The Rangers have not had a single team captain since Ryan McDonagh left for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017-18. Instead, the team has utilized multiple assistant captains during that span. After Trouba was named the franchise's next captain, star forward Artemi Panarin took to social media with a hilarious congratulatory message for his teammate.
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ā Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) August 9, 2022
āJacob, Jacob! Congratulations buddy, I'm happy for you,ā said Panarin, before smiling and saying, āBut I still think I'm [a] better choice.ā
While Panarin is clearly excited for his teammate, he couldn't help but sneak the quick jab in there. While Panarin may consider himself a better choice for the Rangers' captaincy than Trouba, it seems the front office felt that the enforcer defenseman was worthy of the honors.
Trouba will become the Rangers' 28th-ever captain in franchise history. He was among the team's six alternate captains in 2021-22, alongside Panarin, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad. It's unclear how many alternate captains the Rangers will utilize in 2022-23, though fans can expect Panarin will be among the group recognized with the honor once again.
In 2021-22, Trouba recorded 39 points across 81 games. The Rangers' star defenseman had 11 goals and 28 assists, while registering career highs in shots blocked (177) and hits (207). It was the first time in his career he logged more than 173 hits in a single season, showing a more physical side to himself than in previous seasons.
As for Artemi Panarin, the Rangers' star attacker put up 96 points in 75 games, including 22 points and 74 assists.
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