New York Rangers Daily: Jacob Trouba reunion awaits; Rick Tocchet favorite for Flyers job
Nearly four months after trading Jacob Trouba, the New York Rangers will play against their former captain for the first time when they visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday.
Of course, there are more important things for the Rangers to be concerned about than a reunion with Trouba. There are two important points on the line for a Rangers team that somehow remains just one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
The Rangers (34-32-6) have lost four of their past five games, but they barely lost any ground because no one in this East “race” actually can win a game, much less distance themselves from the other playoff pretenders — err, contenders it is, right?
So, yeah those two points are massive Friday night.
But facing Trouba is a big deal, too. Rangers general manager Chris Drury may have botched how he handled moving on from the important team leader and top four defenseman, but he did well to offload all of Trouba’s $8 million AAV through next season and get a serviceable player like Urho Vaakanainen in return. It was something that simply needed to be done.
No, it didn’t sit well within the locker room. Say what you will about Trouba — he wasn’t worth his salary, his game had declined, both true statements — but he was incredibly respected by his teammates, both as a player and a leader on the Rangers.
Dave Maloney confirmed this notion when he guested on the RINK RAP podcast a couple months ago.
“There is no question, absolutely no question that he was the spiritual leader of that group. None,” the former Rangers captain and longtime MSG broadcaster said.
So, what will we see Friday? Will Trouba deliver a signature crushing open-ice hit on, say, Artemi Panarin or Adam Fox? Or Maybe have a big-time physical battle throughout the game with, say, Alexis Lafreniere or Will Cuylle?
Trouba’s going to play his game, but perhaps he won’t line anybody up for that one massive hit. That’d be different if Drury himself was out there wearing th e white Rangers road sweater. But that’s not the case, though Trouba would certainly welcome that.
It’ll be strange for the Rangers and Trouba, so much history and still a bond there. But once the puck drops, it’s got to be all about the two points for the Blueshirts.
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NHL news and rumors
Here’s our story about the Philadelphia Flyers firing John Tortorella as coach.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere explained it wasn’t any one thing that led to Tortorella’s firing.
With interim coach Brad Shaw behind the bench, the Flyers did the Rangers a solid and defeated the Canadiens 6-4.
Now that there’s a coaching vacancy in Philly, many are wondering if Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet — a former Flyers forward — would have interest in that job, especially considering the headaches he’s dealt with this season in Vancouver.
With a goal against the Buffalo Sabres, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins set a new NHL record with his 20th consecutive season averaging at least a point per game. Wayne Gretzky previously had achieved that 19 times.
Even Crosby’s greatness couldn’t stop the freefalling Penguins from getting smoked 7-3 by the Sabres.
The Calgary Flames believe they were “robbed” after a pair of goals were overturned on review in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Flames forward Connor Zary left that game in the third period after an awkward fall into the boards following a collision with Stars forward Mikko Rantanen.
Hoe about Alex Ovechkin leading the Washington Capitals back on to the ice to form a handshake line with Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, in what’s likely the final game between the NHL greats with Fleury retiring at the end of the season.
The St. Louis Blues extended their winning streak to eight games with a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators.
The Ottawa Senators strengthened their hold on the first wild card in the East with a 4-3 win against the fading Detroit Red Wings.
The Rangers need to take note, they play the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and the Sharks are coming off a wild 6-5 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Calvin Pickard was pulled by the Edmonton Oilers after allowing five goals in what ended up to be a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
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