What’s next for Rangers after trading captain Jacob Trouba to Ducks
A big piece of business was taken care of Friday when the New York Rangers traded their captain, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a forth round draft pick.
It’s something general manager Chris Drury felt compelled to do since last offseason; and after a rugged stretch for the Rangers over the past month, he decided it was time to shake things up and part ways with the 30-year-old defenseman.
Drury’s hardball tactics to move on from respected veteran leaders Barclay Goodrow and Trouba since the end of last season ruffled some feathers in the Rangers dressing room. But more importantly, those moves opened up more than quite a bit of salary cap space for the Rangers, not only this season but in future seasons. Trouba, specifically, has an $8 million AAV through the 2025-26 season.
The Rangers only took back $1.1 million annually with Vaakanainen, who’s an RFA at the end of this season.
Though a positive move, the Trouba trade does raise some questions and sets the stage for what’s next with the Rangers.
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What’s next for Rangers after Jacob Trouba trade
Plan for Urho Vaakanainen, and how to replace Jacob Trouba in the lineup
Grouping these two together since they’re related. Trading Trouba is one thing, adequately replacing him on the blue line is another. Say what you will about Trouba, but he was New York’s most physical defenseman, blocked a boatload of shots, played 20 minutes a game and was an solid penalty killer.
So, is Vaakanainen, a 25-year-old left-shot defenseman, going to replace Trouba on the right side of Zac Jones on the third pair? Well, not immediately, that’s for sure. The oft-injured Vaakanainen is on IR with an upper-body injury. He played 64 games last season with the Ducks, but just 141 in the NHL since 2018-19, and only five this season.
Right now, rookie Victor Mancini is on the third pair with Jones, after being recalled from Hartford in the American Hockey League on Friday. He played just 10:58 against the Penguins, and coach Peter Laviolette does his best to shelter the 22-year-old, who struggled defensively earlier in the season but ha still blossomed into a key prospect.
Chad Ruhwedel is strictly a seventh defensemen it appears. So, the Rangers very well could add another defenseman before the trade deadline this season, especially with Ryan Lindgren a pending unrestricted free agent next summer.
Another trade feels inevitable
Speaking of adding, the Trouba trade can’t be the only one Drury makes, right? Whether it’s now or closer to the deadline, you have to believe that the Rangers are going to make more trades. With more available cash, Drury can set his sights higher than this past summer when the Rangers were pressed right up against the salary cap ceiling.
That’s how Reilly Smith ended up to be the consolation prize at right wing on the Mika Zibanejad line. Trading for him was a much more affordable option than signing a big name free agent. Now that equation has changed.
Larry Brooks reported that the Rangers targeted Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. The rugged 25-year-old would certainly change the Rangers core and how they play, adding a combination of grit and skill the Rangers lack. Others have refuted that reporting. But the thing is, it’s now possible to take on a contract like Tkachuk’s ($8.2 million AAV through 2027-28) if the Rangers consider such a blockbuster.
Simply, there’s more coming. It’s just a question of who and when.
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The next captain
It’d be surprising if the Rangers quickly named a new captain. Remember, they went quite a while with a group of players sharing the A on their sweaters before Trouba was named captain ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The Rangers have a strong group of veteran leaders. And that’s likely good enough for the rest of this season. And then revisit the situation before next season.
Vincent Trocheck is a heart-and-soul player, articulate, respected in the room and signed through 2028-29. He’s not even an alternate now, but would be an excellent choice to be the next Rangers captain.
It’s doubtful Chris Kreider nor Zibanejad fits the bill as captain. Nor Artemi Panarin, who only has another year left on his contract anyway. And Adam Fox? Great player, but he just doesn’t seem like the next captain.
Would the Rangers turn to a younger player — say Alexis Lafreniere — next season to be their long-term captain? That could make sense, since he’d be surrounded by a solid core of veteran teammates to work with.
No matter who the next captain is, that player may not want the gig. The three most recent Rangers captains — Trouba, Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Callahan — were traded in the middle of seasons.
Igor Shesterkin’s contract extension
UPDATE: The Rangers officially announced an eight-year contract extension with Igor Shesterkin on Saturday.
Though widely reported, and even teased by the goalie himself after the 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, Igor Shesterkin’s massive contract extension is not official just yet. That could change as soon as Saturday. But that’s as big — even bigger — than the Trouba trade.
There’s no more important player in the Rangers universe than Shesterkin. So, getting him signed for the next eight years is another huge item checked off Drury’s to-do list. It looks like the 28-year-old will get $11.5 million annually. That’s the richest deal for a goalie in NHL history. But it’s also less than the projected $12+ million that was expected.
So, now the Rangers have cost certainty moving forward with Shesterkin and Lafreniere signed long term after each key player entered this season needing a new contract before the 2025-26 campaign. Cost certainty — which includes removing Trouba’s salary — is key because it allows Drury to know exactly where he stands when negotiating possible trades now and free-agent contracts next offseason.
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