Jacob Trouba reacts to trade talk, meets with Chris Drury after Rangers put him back on the block

TARRYTOWN, NY – There’s a reason Jacob Trouba was named captain of the New York Rangers ahead of the 2022-23 season. It’s not because he’s a short-hearted guy prone to media appearances.

So it wasn’t a surprise Tuesday that Trouba tried to downplay the impact of hearing his name on the trade block and that his own general manager put it there. Seam Athletics reported Monday, Chris Drury sent out a memo Sunday to the 31 other NHL GMs saying the Rangers are open to trades and any that could specifically involve Trouba or Chris Kreider.

The goal was likely less to find a trade partner for one of the established veterans and more to light a fire under the Rangers’ room. It did not catch on Monday, when St. Louis Blues put a 5-2 upset on a Rangers team that has now lost three in a row and allowed 40-plus shots on goal in all three.

“I’m happy to be here. I’m focused on playing hockey,” Trouba said after an optional Rangers practice Tuesday ahead of the first meeting of the season with the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday. “I learned from the summer that you kind of have to block all that out and just focus on playing hockey.”

Trouba said he had not spoken to Drury since Sunday’s league-wide call for trade offers and had no plans to seek out the GM to calm the waters.

A Rangers source said Drury met with Trouba later in the day Tuesday, as well as Kreider and other veterans, before the team flew to Raleigh. The source characterized the meetings as “honest, productive conversations.”

If Drury’s league-wide trade call was meant to be a message, these meetings were likely necessary to ensure the team can stay together and not fall apart.

The likelihood of Drury finding a trade that fits either Trouba or Kreider, who have one and two years left on their deals, is slim at this point. And even if there is a trade, the Rangers would lose a leader and a player who plays big minutes. Both of these aspects are difficult to replace in mid-season.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Drury has had Trouba’s name out there. The GM was hoping to move his captain before July 1 to try to make room for free agent movement on defense, and Trouba declined to play along.

“It’s part of the business,” Trouba said Tuesday. “I don’t know if (the trade talk is) real or not. My job is to play hockey.”

The playing role has not gone so well for him or his team. Monday’s loss marked the sixth time in 20 games and the third straight game the Rangers allowed more than 10 high-danger scoring chances, according to Clear Sight Analytics. For the season, the Rangers rank first in the league in high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, but 29th in high-danger chances against.

When their offense isn’t clicking, as it has been in the past three games, the Rangers are exposed without the puck and prone to scrambles in the defensive zone. The losing streak is new, but those defensive issues have persisted through the majority of the 20 games, covered by timely offense and the goaltending tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, who have a combined .917 save percentage, second only to the league. 18-4-0 Jets’ goalies.

“The three prior to (the past three games), I didn’t mind,” Peter Laviolette said. “I thought we were pretty good. But there were a couple of games before that we weren’t very good. We gave up too much and maybe that could seep through and now you’re in a little bit again. It’s things that need to be fixed and we need to get better.”

Laviolette said Kreider and Filip Chytil (upper body) will travel with the team to Raleigh and Philadelphia for the next two games. The Rangers sent Matt Rempe back to Hartford after a one-game appearance Monday, but kept Brett Berard, who likely would continue to play in Kreider’s absence if that continues.

Laviolette also said he wants to see his veteran players work through the games. The Ryan Lindgren-Trouba pair were on for three Blues goals on Monday.

“You have to give them a chance to respond and a chance to work their way out of it,” he said.

As for Trouba, he managed a smile when asked about his name coming up now twice in five months and as a likely prelude to a move this coming offseason once his wife’s medical residency in New York is complete .

“That’s how it works,” he said. “I love this group. I love playing here.”

(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)