The trade
New York Rangers receive Jacob Trouba
Winnipeg Jets receive Rangers 2019 first-round pick (No. 20 overall) and defenseman Neal Pionk
New York Rangers: A
For teams that want to address their defense, options are running out quickly. The Flyers grabbed
Matt Niskanen for their top four and paid a premium to do it for a player who wasn’t coming off a great season.
Erik Karlsson just got a massive contract that, if we’re being real, probably isn’t going to age well even if he’s one of the top three defensemen in the game. And now, Trouba is off the market.
He’s not a No. 1 defenseman but he’s a really good second-pair defenseman who can play on the top pair. He’s comfortable playing against the toughest competition. Without Dustin Byfuglien blocking the way, Trouba should be more of a regular on the power play.
“He’ll be a lot better on a different team,” said one NHL coach. “He’s more nuts and bolts – hard hat. … He’s strong on the puck. You’re not going to be scared (playing against him) but you know you’ll have to battle for the puck.”
“I like him but I don’t think he’s a brilliant guy with the puck,” said a Western Conference talent evaluator.
So yeah, at 25 years old, he’s still apt to make a questionable decision but that’s a positive of this deal – he’s still young. The Rangers are going to have to deal with a hard-lining agent in Kurt Overhardt, and if they extend the restricted free agent on a long-term deal, it’s probably going to be for more money than you want – likely at least $7 million per season. But that’s the price of poker. They knew that going in.
“I don’t like all the hassle and the angst about the contracts. But I do like Trouba,” said an NHL executive on Monday. “He’s a good player.”
And Trouba might have the perfect personality to play in New York because none of the outside noise bothers him at all. He’s a guy who has very publicly asked for a trade. His name has been in trade rumors for years. He can play under the spotlight without it seeping into his game.
“He has an aloofness to him that’s probably off-putting to a lot of people,” said one source who knows him well. “There’s some guys that will go anywhere or do anything for anyone. That’s not Jacob … there’s just some guys who don’t care about being in the limelight or being viewed positively outside of how they play.”
The beauty of this trade for the Rangers is that, even if they can’t extend him and things don’t work out in New York, there’s always the option to trade him at the deadline if necessary, where they can likely recoup what they gave up here, if not more.
