The NY Rangers finally have a new captain, and it’s Jacob Trouba. Trouba becomes the much-needed 28th captain in franchise history. The Rangers have gone without a captain since the 2018 deadline when they traded Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The move comes as a bit of a shock, as many fans viewed him as a potential buyout candidate next offseason, but some fans may remember he seemed to be the front runner for the honor going into last season. Many fans also wanted and envisioned Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad as the next captain of the Rangers.
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While many fans may not be happy with Trouba being the next captain, I think it’s a solid move. Trouba wasn’t my first choice to be the captain, and I think Kreider made the most sense, however, I think Trouba fits as the captain of this team.
He fits Gallant’s style as he is a big, physical defenseman. Trouba also wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself or his teammates getting into seven fights and being in the center of scrums. The move checks off the final box this team needed to address before the start of the season.
The Rangers are no longer in a rebuild and it was time for a singular leader. No team had won a Stanley Cup without a captain since the 1971-72 Boston Bruins. Congrats to Trouba and now we wait to see how many alternates get named.