The battle for supremacy in the rivalry of the Hudson between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils is heating up. With both teams acquiring impact right-handed defensemen, it’s fair to ask, who’s better?
After a game on April Fool’s Day this year in which both New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils fans collectively chanted “we both suck,” the two sides of the battle of the Hudson have taken drastic steps to improve. Aside from finishing one and two in the draft lottery to select Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko, both teams took advantage of cap strapped teams.
The Rangers managed to snag right-handed defenseman Jacob Trouba, who’s wanted out of Winnipeg for the better part of two years, for Neal Pionk‘s restricted free agent rights and the first round pick New York acquired from the Jets this past February in return for Kevin Hayes. A pretty slam dunk deal for Rangers’ G.M. Jeff Gorton that he should make every single time.
Not to be outdone, Gorton’s New Jersey counterpart, Ray Shero, made the biggest trade of the draft weekend when he acquired defenseman P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators for blueliner Steven Santini, prospect Jeremy Davies, a 2019 and a 2020 second round pick. The caveat being New Jersey is on the hook for the final $27 million over three years on Subban’s deal.
While dormant for the past several years, when it’s right, the battle of the Hudson is among the best rivalries in all of the NHL. With both teams boasting a freshly drafted star in the making, the two teams acquiring impact defenseman in a two-week stretch is another interesting wrinkle.
As a former Norris Trophy winner, the narrative says that Subban is a better player than Trouba. But, what do the numbers and average annual salary actually say about the quality of the right-handed defensemen?