New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba will be scratched tonight, according to a league source, as the team works to either trade him or place him on waivers.
Either way, it appears the team’s captain is done as a Ranger, effective immediately.
Trouba, who has a year left on his contract at an $8 million cap hit, did not want to leave the Rangers this summer, when general manager Chris Drury was looking to alter the veteran core of the team. Trouba’s wife, Kelly, is in the final year of her medical residency at a New York hospital and Trouba did not want to uproot her.
Now it seems there’s no choice. Drury sent out a memo to the NHL’s 31 other GMs two weeks ago saying he’d listen to offers, specifically ones about Trouba or veteran forward Chris Kreider. Now Drury is signaling his willingness to go down the same path he did with Barclay Goodrow in June — possibly waiving Trouba so a team on his 15-team no-trade list can claim him and not have to surrender anything in return.
The threat of waivers could also pressure Trouba to waive his no-trade clause so he has some control over where he ends up.
The Rangers have called up Victor Mancini to take Trouba’s spot in the lineup. The 22-year-old, also a right-shot defenseman, emerged as a surprise in training camp and has played 10 games this season.
Removing Trouba’s $8 million cap hit would give Drury lots of flexibility to make a move to shore up the team’s defense, which has been lacking all season and particularly during a 1-6-0 skid heading into Friday’s game with the Penguins.
The 30-year-old Trouba signed a seven-year contract worth $8 million annually after he forced his way out of Winnipeg in the summer of 2019, preferring to play for a team in the U.S. so he could be closer to his wife, Kelly, who was then in medical school.
Trouba was named Rangers captain prior to the 2022-23 season and was lauded by Drury as the team’s leader. Now, just over two years later, his time in New York is done.
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(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
