Jacob Trouba Likely To Remain With Rangers Next Season

After a healthy dose of trade rumors earlier in the offseason, it appears Rangers captain Jacob Trouba won’t be on the move this summer after all, reports Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Staple adds that “there was never anything close” in regards to a rumored deal around the draft that would have sent Trouba to the Red Wings, which he would have nixed anyway by placing Detroit on his 15-team no-trade list. A source also tells Staple that Rangers general manager Chris Drury has spoken to Trouba in the past few weeks to do some “fence-mending on the team’s part.”

One important consideration in any Trouba trade, as Staple highlights, is the lack of a suitable internal replacement. The Blueshirts don’t have a right-shot defenseman ready to take on everyday NHL minutes behind Adam Fox and Braden Schneider. They only have three RDs signed to NHL contracts outside of that trio – veteran depth defender Chad Ruhwedel, who’s best served as a No. 7, Casey Fitzgerald, who spent all of last season in the minors; and 22-year-old Victor Mancini, who’s a few years away from NHL consideration as he enters his first professional campaign. There aren’t any impact UFAs left on the market who would replace Trouba’s two-way, physically-oriented style of play, either.

It is clear that Trouba should expect a decreased workload in the Big Apple next season, though. The 30-year-old has averaged north of 21 minutes per game in all 11 of his NHL seasons, but that streak could come to an end with the younger Schneider set to be elevated into a top-four role after a strong end to the 2023-24 campaign. Trouba, who’s signed to an $8MM cap hit through 2025-26, is coming off arguably the most disappointing season of his career with 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) with a -7 rating in 69 games. He struggled to control possession, posting a career-low 47.2 CF% at even strength.

That down season, plus his hefty no-trade list, made his deal understandably difficult to move. Staple expects that to change next summer, calling the chances of a Trouba trade in the 2025 offseason “nearly certain.” That’s because the Rangers will need every inch of cap space available to re-sign RFAs Alexis Lafrenière, K’Andre Miller and top pending UFA netminder Igor Shesterkin, whose combined cap hits could very well total over $20MM.

A lack of a Trouba move indicates the Rangers are likely done with major moves for the summer. They have over $5.1MM in projected cap space remaining, per PuckPedia, but a solid chunk of that will go toward a new deal for RFA defender Ryan Lindgren.