Former Rangers general manager Neil Smith offered some interesting insight on the team's situation with Jacob Trouba.
The New York Rangers have found themselves in a sticky situation with their captain Jacob Trouba.
In an attempt to clear cap space, the Rangers were reportedly working to trade Trouba and get rid of his $8 million cap hit.
There was a reported deal in the works that would send Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings, but those talks seemed to die down.
Former Rangers general manager Neil Smith confirmed the rumor that Trouba placed Detroit on his no-trade list, crushing any hopes of a trade to the Red Wings.
This is certainly not a position either Trouba nor the Rangers currently want to be in.
“Now you’ve got some muddy waters with maybe the most important guy on your team — the captain — the guy that has the most influence in the locker room,” Smith said. “So it’s gonna be something that they’re gonna have to handle. It’s a bit of a mess.”
Smith is right. The Rangers were playing with fire and now they have to face the consequences.
It’s understandable that New York was looking to trade Trouba given his large cap hit, but he is still the captain and attempting to move a player of that high magnitude has repercussions.
Trouba now knows that the team was trying to shop him, which will likely hinder the relationship between the 30-year-old and the Rangers organization.
It’s unclear if general manager Chris Drury is still trying to trade Trouba. Either way though, the damage has already been done.
