Jacob Trouba opens up on Rangers trade rumors: ‘It’s part of the game’
Jacob Trouba’s name is back on the rumor mill but the New York Rangers defenseman is not about to let that stand in the way of what’s most important. And that’s helping the Rangers get out of their recent rut of mediocre play, just 7-7-0 in the past 14 games.
So, when asked about reports that surfaced Monday regarding how Rangers general manager Chris Drury is seeking to shake up the roster and is considering dealing Trouba and/or veteran forward Chris Kreider, the captain was even-keeled in his response.
“I can’t really answer for others, for me, it’s part of the game,” Trouba said. “I’m happy to be here. I love this group, love playing here. We’ve had a decent start to the season. We’ve kind of hit a rough patch and we’ve got to work our way out of it.”
The Rangers have lost three consecutive games for the first time this season, following a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Monday, and been heavily outplayed in each. They allowed 132 shots over this stretch, and have been leaving goalies Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick defenseless far too often. The team’s lack of response has been especially concerning, even more so after being called out by Drury.
It’s been an especially rough time for Trouba, who was a minus-two against the Blues, and had another brutal turnover that led to a goal against. But Trouba’s rough patch extends all the way back to this past summer, when Drury allegedly tried to trade him after asking for Trouba’s 15-team no-trade clause before the July 1 deadline to do so. Trouba reportedly shut that down and handed in his list at the deadline, short-circuiting a potential trade, believed to be with the Detroit Red Wings.
When asked if he’s willing to accept a trade to a team that is not on his 15-team no-trade list, Trouba’s response was brief.
“That’s how it works,” he said.
Related: Rangers trade rumors, lineup changes after extended stretch of mediocre play
Jacob Trouba ‘focused on playing hockey’ amid Rangers trade rumors
What happens with Trouba is ultimately out of his hands, beyond the 15 teams to which he can’t be traded. What he can control is his own game, which could use a boost. According to Natural Stat Trick, Trouba has been out-chanced 168-266, and 71-102 in high-danger chances this season.
“It doesn’t really matter,” explained Trouba on the trade rumors. “I’m happy to be here, focus on playing hockey. I can’t really control that, I think I learned that over the summer. You’ve got to kind of block all that out and just focus on playing hockey with this group here and being the best we can.”
So, is Drury really going to trade his captain, or was this just an attempt at a wake-up call? Well, a trade is going to be difficult to pull off, as seen last summer. For starters, Drury can only negotiate with 16 teams. Then there’s Trouba’s $8 million salary cap hit through next season. No team is going to take all of that, so there will have to be some salary retention involved.
At that point, who knows if Drury will be able to get a decent return? Yes, Trouba is a veteran defenseman and leader, but he has zero goals and six assists in 20 games this season. His analytics are poor, and it is openly known that he wants to stay in New York, especially with his wife’s medical residency being in New York City.
“I think it’s part of the business,” he said. “If it’s real or not, I don’t know. My job is to play hockey and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Trouba and the Rangers will have another chance to get things back on track when they face the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday. The Rangers knocked the Hurricanes out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the second round last season in six games, so Carolina will be fired up and looking for revenge.
If the Rangers don’t figure out a way to stop giving up chances in bunches, it’s going to get ugly against a Carolina team that is just one point shy of first place in the Metropolitan Division.
“Every team goes through this kind of thing,” Trouba explained. “Every year you face some adversity and that’s how you build a team throughout the year. We’ve lost a couple, and we have a chance to turn it around (Wednesday).”
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