Jacob Trouba has been the subject of trade rumors and speculation for many years. His contract is widely disliked outside of the Rangers fanbase due to the line he walks between legal and illegal hits, and the contract he has is often considered among the worst in the NHL. When discussions open up around the Ranger captain, they're frequently describing a cap dump or a buyout. Blueshirts faithful have started to call for a move for the captain, and it makes sense.
New York tried to move the captain in the summer, but he refused to waive his trade protection. While that is his contractual right, his protection has dropped from a full no-movement clause to a 15-team no-trade list. Next season, it'll drop further to just 12 teams to which he can block trades. There will be more chances to move on from the captain as that protection dwindles.
Where the issues lie is in a trade partner. You need to find a partner that has the cap space to take on that contract, and that is where the Rangers will have issues. Trouba has two years left, making $8 million against the cap. That's a lot of money for a defender who struggled to do much of anything outside of big hits. Next season, a team with a ton of cap space is looking for some playoff depth, physicality, and leadership, but that doesn't help the issue now.
So, what possible partners are there? Teams that want Trouba, could find a use for him, can afford him, and are likely to be available to send him to. There will be many teams that don't want anything to do with him, and you can guess almost all of the Canadian teams will be blocked out, as they are for most players. So, let's get brainstorming. Who could fit the predetermined criteria?