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New York Rangers gearing up to start competing with Jacob Trouba trade

By Griffin Youngs

WINNIPEG, MB - DECEMBER 27: Jacob Trouba #8 of the Winnipeg Jets follows the play up the ice during third period action against the Calgary Flames at the Bell MTS Place on December 27, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Flames defeated the Jets 4-1. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - DECEMBER 27: Jacob Trouba #8 of the Winnipeg Jets follows the play up the ice during third period action against the Calgary Flames at the Bell MTS Place on December 27, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Flames defeated the Jets 4-1. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The New York Rangers are taking the steps necessary to start competing again as soon as next season, acquiring Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in a steal of a trade.

The New York Rangers have been in the midst of a self admitted rebuild since the 2018 Trade Deadline, but for the first time in nearly two years, they’re making moves to build the team towards competing for a playoff spot once again.

Announced by the organization on Monday night, The Rangers acquired the signing rights to defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (originally belonging to Winnipeg), and defenseman Neal Pionk.

The Jets’ first round pick was originally acquired by the Rangers at the Trade Deadline when the Rangers sent Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg for said first round pick and Brendan Lemieux.

The 25-year-old Trouba led all Jets defensemen this past season in points with a career-high eight goals and 42 assists in a full 82 game season, and one assist in six playoff games. He also averaged 22:52 a night, second-most on the Jets. Trouba is also an RFA this offseason, and will likely command an expensive long term extension from the Rangers, but luckily with $19,036,391 left in cap space, they can afford to pay him.

First and foremost, the series of moves made by the Rangers with the Jets since the Trade Deadline has been nothing short of a masterclass from Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton. In exchange for Pionk and six weeks of Hayes, the Rangers got Trouba and Lemieux from the Jets with the first round pick cancelling out. That kind of value for that little in return deserves to be applauded.

The Trouba trade alone is an absolute win for the Rangers, having to just send back the Jets’ own first round pick and a defenseman in Pionk who would’ve been cast aside regardless in exchange for a young top pair defenseman that they’ve needed ever since trading Ryan McDonagh. With several teams like the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders all bidding for Trouba’s services, it’s astounding that Gorton was able to pull this move off so cheaply.

The Rangers defense has been a mess for the past several seasons, and was one of the main reasons why the organization decided to go ahead and blow it up for the time being. Adding not just Trouba but Adam Fox this offseason along with prospects like K’Andre Miller, Nils Lundkvist and Libor Hajek have made the concerns soon to be a thing of the past.

The Rangers are also expected to be very active in free agency this offseason, the most persistent rumor being that they could be the favorites to sign Artemi Panarin when he hits the open market. A move on that scale would all but end the rebuild phase for the Rangers, and move them into playoff competition.

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On top of it all, the Rangers own the second-overall pick in the upcoming draft. That pick will likely be used to draft a potential future face of the franchise in either Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers could become a threat for not just next season, but possibly the next decade with the amount of young talent they’ve acquired over the last two seasons.

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