New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba lands in The Big Apple

Brace yourselves, the New York Rangers are making moves after trading for Winnipeg Jets defenseman, Jacob Trouba.

The New York Rangers have got their man after sending Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft to the Jets for Trouba.

It is one hell of a trade by Blueshirts General Manager Jeff Gorton, who only had to give up a defenseman who was due to become a restricted free agent and a draft pick that was originally owned by Winnipeg.

This trade comes hot off the heels of the San Jose Sharks signing Erik Karlsson to a monster eight-year, $92 million dollar extension and it is a move that adds considerable star power to the Rangers blueline.

It is worth noting, however, that Trouba is an impending free agent and will be due for an extension come July, 1.

Trouba is likely to command a max contract in the region of seven to eight years, worth in the ballpark of $7-8.5 million.

You would like to think that the Rangers wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on this trade unless they were confident of getting a deal done, so don’t be surprised if an extension is announced sooner rather than later.

One cause for concern is that they weren’t allowed to talk to Trouba’s agent before they did the deal, so theoretically, they don’t know what kind of contract Trouba is looking for.

This is a huge piece of business for the Blueshirts who have now significantly upgraded and bolstered their blueline without having to give up the family jewels.

Trouba is an elite NHL defenseman in the making and he was one of the hottest names on the trade market this summer, with the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils also in on the blueliner according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

A high-end puck-moving right hand shooting defenseman, the 25-year-old is at the peak of his powers right now and still has plenty of room to develop into an elite NHL blueliner.

He excelled in 2018-19 for the Jets, setting career-highs in assists (42), points (50), power play goals (3), power play points (18), shots (162) and takeaways (48).

15 of Trouba’s 42 assists came on the power play this year and he has all the tools in his armoury to be able to morph into a potent weapon on the man advantage for the Rangers, forming a formidable one-two punch with Adam Fox.

Trouba’s 50 points ranked 13th among defensemen in 2018-19 and his 42 assists were ninth among blueliners, further illustrating the calibre of player the Blueshirts are gaining.

Not only will Trouba help with the transition out of the zone and provide a much-needed offensive punch from the blueline, he’s also an upgrade defensively on what the team already has on the roster.

He’s mobile, can skate well and, at 6’3″ and 202 lb, can hit like a train and give his team an edge with his physical play.

In all, Trouba has 42 goals and 137 assists for 179 points in 408 regular season games in addition to six points (two goals, four assists) in 27 career playoff games.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this trade is what the Rangers gave up, which was expected to be a lot more and at a much steeper price.

But, instead, the Blueshirts only had to part with the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft that was previous acquired in the Kevin Hayes trade,  as well as pending RFA Neal Pionk.

You could look at this trade as the Ranger acquiring Jacob Trouba and Brendan Lemieux for Neal Pionk and Kevin Hayes, who was a Jet for about two months.

Pionk, who signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May,1, 2017, posted six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 73 games in 2018-19, leading defensemen in power play points (13).

Overall, the 23-year-old has 40 points (seven goals, 33 assists) in 101 NHL career games, all of which came with the Blueshirts.

Pionk was a bright spot for the Rangers in the latter stages of 2017-18, but he struggled for large chunks of this year and looked out of his depth on occasion.

All in all, this trade is a home run for the Rangers who shed a pending restricted free agent with little upside off their roster, replacing him with a stud defenseman with a high ceiling who automatically improves this team.

We will have much more analysis on this trade and what Jacob Trouba brings to the table throughout the evening.