Rangers make necessary moves with Jacob Trouba blockbuster, Igor Shesterkin megadeal

In exchange for Trouba, the Rangers are getting defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth round pick. Even more important than the return is the that the Rangers are reportedly not retaining any of Trouba's contract. Clearing up that future salary-cap space next season (and for the remainder of this season) was a necessity for the Rangers.

Especially as they worked to re-sign Shesterkin.

Getting him signed on Friday was perhaps the biggest win of the day because he is the foundational piece of the entire Rangers organization. As he goes, the team goes. He is not only one of the two best goalies in the world (and probably the best goalie), he has an ability to mask all of the Rangers' flaws and elevate the team to a level it sometimes has no business reaching. Without him, this team is probably closer to mediocre than a contender.

He was in the final year of his contract, and it seemed likely that a new deal would not be completed until after the season. But the Rangers were able to get that done on Friday and remove that distraction.

Perhaps that was an olive branch to the locker room after the way management had threatened changes in the form of trades. Perhaps it was a way to boost morale for a team that has become stale. 

Either way, it was a necessary move for the Rangers to stay contenders for the foreseeable future. 

Their problems do not entirely go away. They still need to improve their 5-on-5 play and defensive play. They need more mobility on their defense, and they need more scoring depth. But clearing out Trouba's salary can help give them the flexibility to address those spots. 

They at least positioned themselves to start getting better. 

It is never easy to trade a captain. But the Rangers were not going to get to where they want to be as Stanley Cup contenders unless they made that move sooner rather than later.