5 Landing Spots for Rangers Captain Jacob Trouba amid NHL Trade Rumors

5 Landing Spots for Rangers Captain Jacob Trouba amid NHL Trade Rumors0 of 5

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The New York Rangers and captain Jacob Trouba both seem to have a problem this offseason.

From the Rangers’ perspective, they would seemingly like to move their captain due to the combination of his declining play and $8 million salary-cap number over the next two seasons.

One of the improvements they need to make to break through the Eastern Conference ceiling is getting more mobile on defense and not spending as much time in their own zone defending. As long as Trouba is making $8 million and playing a major role, that is going to be difficult to change. So moving him makes sense.

From Trouba’s perspective, he isn’t really interested in leaving New York and doesn’t want to move his family. His contract had a no-movement clause until July 1, when it transferred over to a 15-team no-trade list. The Rangers have reportedly asked for that list and were even rumored to have a deal done with the Detroit Red Wings until Trouba vetoed it.

The situation is leading to some headaches for everybody involved.

But let’s just assume the Rangers continue in their efforts to move their captain. Are there any teams that could logistically make sense?

It is difficult to really get a good feel on that without knowing what Trouba’s trade list looks like, but we can at least try to put together some teams that could make sense.

Detroit Red Wings1 of 5

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Let’s just stick with the obvious team because we at least know the Red Wings actually have interest in adding Trouba.

Maybe they can convince him to change his mind? Maybe Trouba has a change of heart? Maybe he reaches a point where he realizes the Rangers do not want him and personal pride takes over and he says, OK, I will go somewhere where I am wanted?

Never underestimate the pride and ego of a professional athlete.

The Red Wings make sense as a potential destination, not only because they actually have interest, but they also desperately need to do something with their defense that was among the worst in the NHL last season. They also still have some salary-cap flexibility where they could make Trouba’s contract fit financially.

Trouba has significant flaws as a player at this point, but he would probably be something of an upgrade over most of the Red Wings defense after Moritz Seider, especially after Jake Walman was given away in a salary-dump trade earlier in the offseason.

Buffalo Sabres2 of 5

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The Sabres have had an extremely quiet offseason despite having significant needs, having a fair amount of salary-cap flexibility and desperately needing to end a 13-year playoff drought.

They have also lost quite a bit of veteran leadership over the past year.

This could actually be a sensible hockey fit because the Sabres defense is absolutely loaded with young, potential impact talent with former No. 1 overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, along with Bowen Byram and Mattias Samuelsson.

They wouldn’t need Trouba to play a major role, could lean on him as a veteran presence and play him lower down in the lineup where you could hide some of his flaws.

The big question, however, is why would Trouba waive his no-trade clause for a situation like that?

Buffalo might be in New York state, but it’s not close to New York City (where he wants to stay), and he would be asked to go from a Stanley Cup contender to a complementary role on a team that really isn’t close to competing.

It could make sense for the Sabres.

But would it make sense for Trouba?

Chicago Blackhawks3 of 5

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The Blackhawks are through the teardown stage and into the building stage of their rebuild.

They have their franchise player in Connor Bedard, they added a couple of solid veterans this offseason with the free-agent signings of Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, and they still have the salary-cap space to take on another big contract.

Seth Jones has been better than the public perception of him since joining the team, and Alex Vlasic is very quietly developing into a legitimate top-pairing player. But they could still use some additional veteran leadership on the back end, and Trouba could be an enticing option.

But, again, it comes down to whether the Blackhawks would be a team that Trouba would be willing to go to.

San Jose Sharks4 of 5

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This is a nearly identical situation to the one in Chicago. You have a clear rebuilding team swimming in salary-cap space, and having its young potential superstar (in this case 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini) to build around.

The Sharks also had one of the worst defensive groups of the salary-cap era during the 2023-24 season and could probably use anybody back there to help make things better.

They also already did the Rangers one major solid this offseason by taking on the remainder of Barclay Goodrow’s contract off waivers.

Maybe they could do it again with Trouba?

They definitely have a need for defense and some additional veteran presence, but from Trouba’s perspective this seems even more difficult to imagine because why is he going to want to pick up and move 3,000 miles across the country to play for a lottery team the next two years?

But…the Sharks could probably use him.

New York Rangers5 of 5

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Let’s just be realistic. Staying with the New York Rangers, even if it is not a truly new “landing spot,” is almost certainly the most realistic outcome here. While it is possible that the Rangers could find a taker for Trouba in a trade, or find a couple of teams that might be willing to take on his contract or at least a significant portion of it, his no-trade list takes half of the league away as potential options.

That is a problem.

It is also a good bet that of the teams that are not on his no-trade list are either A) not going to be interested in acquiring him, or B) not interested in trying to make the money work for a declining, flawed and expensive player.

San Jose and Chicago would make sense. But what are the odds they are not part of his trade protections? Same goes for teams like Anaheim or Utah. If he did not want to go to Detroit, a reasonably competitive team that is only halfway across the country, why is he going to a bad team entirely across the country? The Rangers—and Trouba—might simply be stuck with one another for the foreseeable future, unless the team does something really dramatic like waive him and hope that somebody claims him like the Sharks did with Goodrow.