New York Rangers: A homecoming for Jacob Trouba and Brendan Lemieux

The New York Rangers open a four game road trip with a key match versus the Jets.  Besides playoff implications, it’s also the first return to Winnipeg for Jacob Trouba and Brendan Lemieux.

The New York Rangers contest with the Winnipeg Jets tonight is important for the Blueshirts as they continue to fight for a playoff spot.  The other significant storyline is the meaning the game will have for three players.

For Jacob Trouba, it will be the first time he will return to the arena he called home for six seasons.  For Brendan Lemieux it will be his first visit to the city where he made his NHL debut.

For Neal Pionk it will be a chance to show the hometown crowd that he was a worthwhile swap for Trouba, something they probably already know.

Trouba’s return

This will be an emotional return for Trouba.  He was drafted by the Jets in 2012  and made his debut in the 2013-14 season. For six years he was one of the top defensemen for Winnipeg, but it also a tumultuous time with contract disputes and holdouts.    At one point he made it well know that he wanted out of Winnipeg.  As a result, his return may be greated with less enthusasm.  David Quinn was tactful, saying “It’s not going to be the warmest homecoming for him.”

Trouba’s season has been solid, but considering his $8 million salary, he is under a microscope.  He has seven goals and 16 assists and is headed for the second best offensive season of his career.  That’s pretty good considering that he is not playing on the top power play unit and  he has relinquished his role as the leading righthanded offensive blueliner to Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo.

He leads the team in average ice time (22:56) and is constantly matched against the opposition’s top lines.  Coach Quinn said that Trouba isn’t happy with his performance.   “He’s been a little bit frustrated with himself…sometimes we lose sight of the pressure a player puts on himself.   Too often a player of his magnitude, they try to do too much. I’m not just talking offensively, I’m just talking in general. I think he feels better about his game today than he has.”

Quinn continued, “One of the things that can happen is he can overthink things and mistakes are gonna happen but I think he takes mistakes to heart and then he tries to go out and do a little bit more to compensate for a mistake that’s been made…no one’s ever played a mistake free hockey game. He’s embracing that mindset and I think he’s gonna have a good night.”

Trouba is one of the more physical players on the Rangers roster and he wasn’t afraid to mix it up with his former college teammate Zach Hyman of Toronto.  Quinn says he is becoming a leader on this team. “He does play with an edge so I think guys automatically respect him for it so I think there is that leadership element from the way he approaches the game.”

Trouba showed those qualities on opening night in his first game against the Jets when he scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-4 Rangers’ win.