After several weeks of looking to trade Jacob Trouba, the New York Rangers are now expected to hold onto the 30-year-old defenseman for the 2024-25 season.
It is no surprise the Rangers could not find a landing spot for Trouba. There are four reasons as to why it was difficult to move him.
Trouba’s Contract
Trouba would bring a hefty contract if a team traded for him as he is set to make 8 million dollars next season and is under contract until the summer of 2026. When he was 25 years old and signed the 7-year 56 million dollar contract he was worth the money, but as his career has gone on he’s worth more around 4.5 million dollars per year.
I’m sure if the Rangers were able to find a suitor for him they would retain some of his salary- maybe 2 million dollars or so, but it still may not be worth it for other teams.
Trouba’s Play
His productivity declined this year, especially in the playoffs (granted he was playing through an injury).
He had the second-lowest plus/minus of his career at -4 and had the second-most penalty minutes this past season. He made countless mistakes in the playoffs, especially in the series-clinching game vs the Panthers where he pinched at the blue line allowing Sam Bennett to sneak past him and ultimately scoring a goal.
Trouba’s Partial No Trade Clause
In Trouba’s contract, he has the right to exercise a list of 15 teams he does not want to be traded to. That takes half the league out of the conversation. One of the teams that seemed like a good landing spot for Trouba was the Detroit Red Wings, but it was reported that they were on Trouba’s list.
Trouba’s Wife
This reason goes hand in hand with Trouba’s no-trade clause. His wife, Kelly Tyson-Trouba, is a doctor and needs to complete a three-year residency in New York for her job. It would be challenging for Trouba to leave his wife and play on another team in another state, which is completely understandable.
2024-25 Campaign
With all that being said, it appears the Rangers will have their captain for at least another year. Trouba can look at it in one of two ways. He can either feel betrayed, lose the locker room, and have the team chemistry plummet, or he can prove to everyone from the front office to the fans that they were wrong for even trying to move him in the first place. Let's hope it's the latter.