Rangers reportedly working on trade to send team captain to Detroit Red Wings

The buzz surrounding the New York Rangers over the past week has centered around team captain Jacob Trouba. The 30-year-old defenseman has had his name brought up in trade discussions this week and things seem to be heating up following the NHL Entry Draft on Friday night.

The Rangers are reportedly working on a trade to send Jacob Trouba to Detroit

According to Larry Brooks of The New York Post, Rangers GM Chris Drury is working on a deal to send Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings. Trouba would “presumably” accept the trade as a Michigan native. He has a 15-team no-move clause in his contract, but a move to the Red Wings would present an opportunity to play for his hometown team.

Trading away Trouba would be a big move for the Blueshirts as they attempt to clear up some salary cap space for the upcoming free-agency period. Brooks reports that the Rangers would only be on the hook for $2.5 million of Trouba’s $8 million salary if this deal goes through:

“We are told the Rangers may retain $2.5 million per year on the two remaining seasons of Trouba’s $8M annual cap charge,” Brooks wrote. “That represents 31.25 percent retention that would also be applied to the $12M in salary Trouba has coming over the next two seasons. If that does become the amount of retention if this deal goes through, that would clear an additional $5.5M in space…”

Trouba finished the 2023 season with 22 total points and a -4 rating. He received plenty of criticism during the postseason due to his poor performance as he played through an ankle injury.

Despite being the team’s captain, Trouba is likely on his way out of New York this summer. The Rangers will have a hole to fill in their defensive corps, however, they have been keeping tabs on the top free-agent defensemen. Soon enough, the Blueshirts’ roster could take a new shape.