Rangers’ Jacob Trouba on summer trade rumors, excitement for ‘last crack for this core’

Jacob Trouba knows the stakes of the 2024-25 season, both for himself and for his team. He explained this after the first on-ice day of New York Rangers training camp.

“In all likelihood, this will probably be the last crack for this core,” the captain said. “I don’t think that’s a secret by any means.”

Of the core players, the 30-year-old Trouba is most likely to be on the move at the end of the season. After all, the Rangers were interested this past summer in trading the defenseman, who is coming off a tough postseason and has an $8 million average annual contract. He will have just one year left on his deal after this year, and the Rangers will need to clear cap space to give new contracts to Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafrenière and K’Andre Miller.

Trouba has been with the Rangers since 2019 when the Winnipeg Jets traded him after failing to sign him to a long-term deal. Trouba signed a seven-year extension with the Rangers, and the deal included a no-movement clause through 2024-25. That changed to a 12-team no-trade clause during the summer.

“According to my contract, I owed a list, and on June 30 I knew that was coming,” he said, adding that there was no animosity throughout the process. “It’s just a standard contract business. Nothing really more than that. Good communication throughout.”

“It’s part of the business of hockey,” Trouba added later in his media availability. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in two great organizations so far in my career. Obviously (I) had a no-move that turned into a partial no-trade. … I knew that was coming this summer. It is not surprising. It was obviously something that was negotiated at the time. It is part of professional sports. I can be traded now. I know that. I knew when I signed the contract that at this moment I could be traded.”

Trouba expressed frustration that his wife, Kelly, and her residence at Lenox Hill Hospital came up in media reports over the summer. Next summer, when her residency is up and Trouba has just one year left on his deal, a trade could be more palatable for him and other teams.

“I want to be here, I love living here, I love New York,” he said. “My family loves it here, as everyone is now aware. All in all, this is where I want to be.”

Asked if his feelings were hurt seeing his name in trade rumors, Trouba said, “Not one bit.”

“There were a lot of things that were said and snowballed,” he said. “I don’t know. You will have to find out where they came from. If you find out, let me know.”

Trouba had 22 points in 69 games last season while averaging 21:15 of ice time per game. He suffered a broken ankle late in the season but was cleared for playoffs. The injury did not affect his offseason training, he said.

Other than Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren mostly skating together, there were no coherent defense pairings at Thursday’s camp. Coach Peter Laviolette has decisions to make with the group. He could choose to play Miller with 22-year-old Braden Schneider, as he did at points last postseason. Trouba went through drills with both Miller and Zac Jones on Thursday.

Asked Wednesday about the summer drama with Trouba, Laviolette said, “Those conversations didn’t come from me.”

“I’m not too into it,” the coach said. “I have a great relationship with James. … He’s the captain of this team, and I’m really excited to have him back and ready to attack this thing.”

Odds and ends

• The first group, which included Matt Rempe, consisted of players who did not complete on-ice testing. The rookies did the testing at rookie camp and NHL veterans did it before camp. The players in Group 1 did not play enough NHL games last year to be allowed under the CBA to complete testing ahead of time.

Laviolette said not to read much into the group assignments, adding that Rempe will be in the main group on Friday.

Other notable players in the first group included Connor Mackey, Brandon Scanlin, Jake Leschyshyn, Casey Fitzgerald and Ben Harpur. There were no goalkeepers in the group.

• Adam Erne, who came to camp on a pro tryout, missed Day 1 due to illness. Jonathan Quick (maintenance) skated on his own.

• Rookie Sam Carrick, who signed a three-year deal during the summer, sniped a few goals early in rush exercises, earning him a punch from Miller. Lafrenière pounded the boards in excitement.

(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)