Rangers sitting Trouba amid reported trade talks
New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba won't be on the ice with the team Friday, and his days with the club appear to be numbered.
The club has several potential swaps on the table involving Trouba, but the defenseman has a modified no-trade clause he'd need to waive to accommodate that, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Detroit Red Wings were initially among the teams involved in talks for Trouba, reported TSN's Darren Dreger, who added that the Ottawa Senators were not.
Columbus later dropped out of the discussions, per LeBrun.
New York could've placed Trouba on waivers Friday at 2 p.m. ET but opted not to do so, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
"He's a good person, and a good player, and a good leader," Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said, according to Newsday's Colin Stephenson. "But ... today, when it comes to addressing this effort, taking time coming out of (Monday's 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils) and thinking about it, this is the decision that I made."
Laviolette made it clear he and general manager Chris Drury are in lockstep regarding the move when asked if he had any say in the matter.
"Chris and I are together in our thoughts," Laviolette said, per USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano.
The bench boss added that Trouba's benching wasn't meant as a message to the dressing room, according to the New York Post's Mollie Walker.
The Rangers recalled blue-liner Victor Mancini from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday morning. New York will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the evening.
Drury reportedly dangled Trouba along with Chris Kreider in late November in a message to the NHL's other 31 teams indicating the Rangers were interested in shaking up their roster.
The veteran rearguard previously had a full no-trade clause that was reduced to 15 teams in July. The Red Wings reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the Michigan-born defenseman at the draft, and Drury asked Trouba for his list of clubs around that time.
Trouba is signed through 2025-26 at $8 million annually. New York anointed him with the "C" in August 2022.
The 30-year-old is known most for his physicality. He's managed only six points - all assists - while averaging exactly 20 minutes of ice time over 24 games this season. That workload would be a career low over a full campaign.
Trouba's underlying numbers have been subpar, as well. The Rangers have controlled only 47.45% of the expected goals and 44.18% of the scoring chances with him on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. Trouba's minus-2.3 defensive goals above replacement ranks 263rd in the league among blue-liners, according to Evolving-Hockey.
He's in his sixth season with the Rangers, who acquired him in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets for defenseman Neal Pionk and a first-round pick that the Jets used on rearguard Ville Heinola.
New York came into Friday's slate sitting fourth in the Metropolitan Division at 13-10-1.