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Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Rangers Trading Jacob Trouba Signals End Of an Era

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Lucas Standel | Last updated Dec 8, 2024 9:35 AM ET

The New York Rangers dominated the NHL headlines on Friday with two massive pieces of news. The first was that they traded their captain, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks. It was followed up by the news that they signed their franchise goalie, Igor Shesterkin, to an eight-year contract extension, which was officially confirmed on Dec. 7. Going back to Trouba, his departure ends what was a very messy situation dating back to this past offseason and now that it is over, both sides are happy to move on and look to the future.

His departure also signals that general manager Chris Drury has seen enough from this current group of Rangers players and he knows that they are not good enough to get the job done. This core group of players has had three shots at winning the Stanley Cup and each time they have come up short. The time for change has come; Trouba was just the first domino to fall. What else does Drury have in store? Only time will tell.

Trouba Led the Rangers to Three Straight Playoff Failures

While he wasn’t officially the captain of the team when the Rangers first made the playoffs back in the 2021-22 season, he was still a major leader in that locker room. They faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and crawled back from a 3-1 series deficit to take it in seven. They then went seven games against the Carolina Hurricanes and won that series. Finally, they had a 2-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning but lost four straight and were eliminated.

It was the first good learning experience for a team that was still young. They would learn from those mistakes, right? Apparently not, because in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they had a 2-0 series lead over the New Jersey Devils in the first round and went on to lose the series in seven games. This was when the questions about this core being good enough first came to light. Nothing was changed going into the 2023-24 season.

It seemed as if nothing could go wrong for the Rangers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They swept the Washington Capitals in round one and then beat the Hurricanes once again in the second round. Then, they got to the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers and they got destroyed.

Even though the series went six games, the Rangers were not the better-looking team in any of them. The top players were once again invisible and Trouba was one of the main problems coming out of that series as he played some of the worst hockey of his career. It is no shock that they wanted to move off of him in the offseason, because they knew that having a player like him making $8 million a season was just not worth it anymore. Quite frankly, he was never worth it.

Rangers Will Likely Ship Out More Veteran Players

Trouba was the biggest piece that the Rangers needed to move on from. Not only would they gain $8 million in cap space this season, but for next season as well. With him being gone, they can make moves to help them get better for this season and next. However, he likely won’t be the only veteran or roster player that will be on the move. Whether it’s soon or closer to the trade deadline, the Rangers are going to be making more moves.

Two players becoming unrestricted free agents are Ryan Lindgren and Reilly Smith. Both have underperformed this season and could benefit from being traded. Plus, they could bring some good assets or other players back to the team. Another name in the rumor mill is Kaapo Kakko, but with how well he has played this season, it is going to take a very strong offer for Drury to even consider moving him.

Two bigger names that have been floated around are Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. Both have struggled mighty this season and for Zibanejad in particular, his poor play in the past two playoffs and his continued poor play this season have seen many wanting him to go. His $8.5 million contract until the 2029-30 season is one that will hurt this team if he continues to decline.

The problem with moving him is he has a full no-movement clause in his deal and it is his decision on if he wants to leave or not. With Kreider, he has less trade protection and would be easier to move, but he always shows up during the playoffs. It would take a substantial trade package in order to move him, but if Drury wants to bring in new, impact players, he needs to move on from this aging and consistently failing core.

Rangers’ Youth Will Lead the Way Into a New Era

While the veteran players have been struggling, it has been the Rangers’ younger players who have been the bright spots on this team. It starts with Will Cuylle, who has had an amazing season so far with nine goals and 20 points, which is one point less than he had all of last season. His line with Kakko and Filip Chytil has been the best line for the team and one of the best lines in the entire league. Alexis Lafreniere has continued to impress this season and on the backend, Zac Jones and Braden Schneider have taken the next step in their development and have become very solid defensemen for the team this season.

Will Cuylle of the New York Rangers celebrates after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Rangers still have other younger players who have yet to truly make an impact at the NHL level. Guys like Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann have both played only a few NHL games and could become impact players in the near future. Looking further into their prospect pool, you have guys like Gabe Perreault tearing it up at Boston College, E.J. Emery who they just drafted in the first round, and so many more. If the Rangers do move off from their veteran core, they have younger players who are ready to step up now and going forward.

The Trouba saga was a dark cloud that was hanging over this team for the past few months. With it all being over now, both sides can look to the future. For the Rangers, that future is likely more moves that send players away who have been with this team for a long time. These players had their chance and came up short on too many occasions. It is time to look to the future. With the younger players they already have and the ones waiting in the wings, the Rangers should have no problem being a competitive team for the foreseeable future.