Report: New York Rangers expected to name Jacob Trouba next captain
The New York Rangers are expected to name defenseman Jacob Trouba the 28th captain in franchise history this week.
According to report by hockey insider Kevin Weekes, he states the announcement should come within the next 24 hours.
Trouba, 28, picked up 39 points in 81 games last season for the Blueshirts and added 5 points in 20 playoff contests. His 177 shot blocks were tops on the team and his 207 hits led all Rangers defensemen.
Jacob Trouba to be next New York Rangers captain
There was a lot of talk prior to the 2021-22 season about naming a captain. Multiple reports suggested that Jacob Trouba was going to get the C sewn on his sweater until a late change of plans. Gerard Gallant and Chris Drury opted to go with six alternate captains, but it didn’t stop Trouba from leading the group.
One of those alternate captains, Ryan Strome heaped a lot of praise on the hard-hitting defenseman for the team’s playoff success. Specifically leading the comeback after going down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round.
“Jacob Trouba did a great job,” Strome said on the Missin Curfew podcast. “We got shellacked like 7-2 (Game 4) and we had a big team meeting. He got all the boys together and he really made everyone believe that you have to take it one at a time. You win that first one and we knew we’re going to win Game 5. If we bring it back to Pittsburgh you never know what can happen.”
Strome also made it a point to emphasize Trouba’s leadership off the ice and away from the rink.
“He threw big hits but he answered the bell every single time. I can’t say enough about him as a player and a person,” Strome added. “I think he did an unreal job with the leadership group. A lot things behind the scenes that aren’t easy to do in New York. You got families living in Connecticut, guys living in the City, it’s not easy to put that stuff together.”
The New York Rangers finished last season with 110 points on the strength of 52 wins. It was certainly an incredible ride that ended with a trip to the Eastern Conference Final.
However, would the year have been deemed such a success if Trouba didn’t rally the troops past the Pens? I don’t think so, and it’s likely what sealed the deal on this decision.
Alternate captains going forward
Trouba is signed through the 2025-26 season with an AAV of $8 million. It will be interesting to see if he will last the entirety of his contract, which sees his full no-move clause become a modified no-trade in 2024.
That is another story entirely, but the focus for next year is who will be the alternate captains?
With Trouba being given the captaincy and Ryan Strome signing with the Anaheim Ducks in free agency, the team now has four alternates.
- Artemi Panarin
- Barclay Goodrow
- Chris Kreider
- Mika Zibanejad
The Rangers could opt to go with just two alternates, which would most likely be Kreider and Zibanejad. Although I believe that such a move will upset the apple cart.
I suspect the Rangers will go with two sets of alternates. One for home games and the other for road games.
Some combination of Kreider and Panarin at home along with Zibanejad and Goodrow on the road is how this should shake out.
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