Rangers captain Jacob Trouba has been the subject of trade speculation ever since their season ended in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final. It seems internal discussions around trading him have gained a fair amount of credibility, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports that the team has asked Trouba’s representation for the 15 teams on his no-trade list, which kicks in on July 1 after having a full no-move clause for the past four seasons.
Staple and The Athletic’s Peter Baugh wrote Tuesday that “there’s no indication as of yet that the Rangers are entertaining a Trouba move,” so his report on Wednesday is the first credible sign that general manager Chris Drury is considering it. No specific teams have been linked to the Blueshirts in Trouba trade talks.
Moving out Trouba, who has two seasons remaining at an $8M cap hit, would open up a significant amount of cap space for Drury to make a big splash in this summer’s free-agent market. New York has been linked to Jake Guentzel, the top left winger available, in recent days after previously pursuing him at this season’s trade deadline.
Coming off arguably his worst season as a Ranger, Trouba likely won’t have much trade value, especially if the Rangers aren’t retaining any salary. The 30-year-old had three goals, 19 assists and 22 points with a -4 rating in 69 games, missing a significant chunk of games near the end of the regular season with an ankle injury.
In the playoffs, his ice time dipped to 20:59 per game from 21:15 in the regular season. He had a decent offensive showing with a goal and six assists in 16 appearances. His usual pairing with K’Andre Miller struggled to control play at even strength in the postseason, posting an xGF% of 41.5 in 92 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. However, he fared much better in third-pairing usage alongside pending UFA Erik Gustafsson.
He may be their captain, but $8M is a large chunk of change for someone past his 30th birthday set to potentially begin next season back in a bottom-pairing role with youngster Braden Schneider challenging for his spot in the top four. He’s become expendable, especially considering Schneider needs a new deal as an RFA this summer. Adding depth scoring will also be a priority for Drury, as is freeing up future cap space for an Igor Shesterkin extension. The perennial Vezina candidate will be in line for a mega-deal next summer as he enters his final season under contract at a $5.67M cap hit.
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