Source: Rangers sitting Trouba, trades on table

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba will not play in their Friday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for “roster management purposes” as the team seeks to trade him, an NHL source confirmed to ESPN.

The Rangers have presented Trouba with several trade options for his approval. The 30-year-old defenseman has a 15-team no-trade clause in his contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season and carries an $8 million salary cap hit.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that the Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres have all talked to the Rangers about Trouba recently.

New York may use the possibility of placing Trouba on waivers, taking away any control he’d have over a trade, as leverage to force a decision. The Rangers caused a stir in June when they placed forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers, clearing the last three years of his contract when the San Jose Sharks claimed him in a prearranged move.

Trouba’s contract shifted from a full no-movement clause to a partial 15-team no-trade clause on July 1. Multiple reports indicated that the Rangers asked Trouba for his no-trade list while he still had a full no-movement clause, an indication that they were trying to trade him. No deal materialized.

The Rangers are 13-10-1 this season, fourth in the Metropolitan Division and in the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. But the team is spiraling, with six regulation losses in seven games. In late November, general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to all 31 teams to say the Rangers were open for business and specifically mentioned Trouba and veteran forward Chris Kreider as trade possibilities.

Trouba has six assists and a minus-3 rating while averaging 20 minutes per night this season, his sixth with the Rangers. Trouba, one of the league’s most impactful checking defensemen, took over the Rangers captaincy in the 2022-23 season.

The potential of a trade has hung over him this year. In training camp, Trouba expressed frustration about the speculation surrounding his future with the Rangers, saying “there’s a lot of things that were said and snowballed.” He mentioned media reports about his wife, Dr. Kelly Tyson-Trouba, and how her residency at a New York hospital might have impacted potential trade destinations. Trouba cited her medical career as a factor in accepting a trade to the Rangers from the Winnipeg Jets in 2019.

“I love living here. I love New York. My family loves it here, as everybody is now aware of,” he said. “I’m happy to be here.”

With Trouba unavailable, the Rangers recalled AHL defenseman Victor Mancini on Friday.