Bruce Bennett. Getty Images.

An official trade deal with the league has not yet been made, so approval is still pending, but it will be defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and Trouba will be a fourth-round pick for the Rangers.
“Ducks assume full contract with Trouba” No salary will be withheld by the Rangers.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 6, 2024

Drastic times…

Trouba fought tooth and nail to avoid a trade this summer. I was a proponent of it. Not because of the player himself, but because I generally tend to be on the players’ side. Organizations will do anything to get rid of you, regardless of what security you and your agent think you have negotiated in your contract. Barclay Goodrow had an NTC that Rangers GM Chris Drury wiped his ass with when he dropped his remaining three years on waivers for the Sharks. So if you as a player have any leverage to get what YOU want, then do it. But when all is said and done, the brass win one way or another. Troubs bought one last shot, but proved he’s worth nothing more than $8 million in any situation on the ice. The Blueshirts season is off the rails, and while it’s not EVERYTHING’S fault, just getting rid of him is addition by subtraction. Given the choice of “accepting one of these trades or receiving a waiver,” the lame-duck Rangers conveniently decided that the best of the unwanted destinations was Anaheim.

And this is obviously not just happening because of a series of defeats on November 5th. Their Cup window is right now, but based on this recent stretch, which has revealed the same flaws that have prematurely ended previous chases, this core as currently constructed cannot be relied upon to transcend their ECF failures . Trouba was the player with the highest moving salary and also the easiest player on the ice to replace. Drury had no choice. It doesn’t look good when we talk about the captaincy of a contender, but what’s worse is ignoring the shortcomings of your own team or continuing to expect things to change on their own.

I was happy with the signing when it happened. “…While one could argue that the price is high now, it’s not a crippling number and one that could quite easily look like a bargain in a few years unless No. 8 has improbably plateaued at 25.” Oops.

I defended him too. “Additionally, no one can be overpaid if your team wins two trophies during the term of your contract.“ Yikes.

In the end, leadership aside, Jacob Trouba’s tenure as a New York Ranger will only be remembered as a trajectory that got progressively worse, more miserable, and more untenable, and that’s a shame. Even the biggest critic who dumped him five summers ago couldn’t have predicted how things would end The bad for the former top ten pick. However, the tide has turned, and no one knows what the Blueshirts will end up doing with their newfound cap space. I would say there is a 0.0% chance that Brady Tkachuk could be traded (according to Larry Brooks he is the ultimate target), but before today I would have said that there would be a chance that there would be a team is at 0.0% I have added assets to absorb all of Trouba’s remaining contract. Who the hell knows?

Regardless, an unprecedented but ruthless move has put the front office in the unusual position of being a contender with the ability to outmaneuver virtually anyone who might be available without the hurdle of cap gymnastics. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making significant changes to a roster that can immediately take this team further than it has in a decade. It remains to be seen whether that will happen or not – but sitting idly by and waiting for this iteration of the Blueshirts to “flip a switch” could no longer continue.

VIVA LA BLUESHIRTS!!!