Rangers' Zibanejad on Trouba: 'We love him to death'
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The New York Rangers could be on the verge on parting with their captain after weeks of trade rumours as general manager Chris Drury looks for a shakeup.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported Friday the Rangers have "multiple deals on the table" for veteran defenceman Jacob Trouba. but need his consent to waive his modified no-trade clause.
Trouba was not on the ice for practice Friday and is not expected to dress for Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We love him to death,” veteran forward Mika Zibanejad said when asked about Trouba, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
“I can’t say enough about (Trouba) and what he’s meant to this team and this locker room overall," goaltender Jonathan Quick added, per Baugh. "He’s a great person, great teammate, great captain. Wishing him the best with dealing with all this stuff.”
Rangers veteran Chris Kreider, who has also faced trade rumours in recent weeks, said he will comment on the situation at a future date.
Zibanejad added that he didn't have specific details regarding what will happen with Trouba and was trying to focus on Friday's game. “I can’t say it’s not tough,” he added.
Head coach Peter Laviolette said he and Drury "are together" in the decision making.
“He’s a good person and a good player," Lavioltte added of Trouba. "A good leader.”
Trouba has posted six assists across 24 games this season for the struggling Rangers, who sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-10-1 record.
The 30-year-old American as well as other notable names on the Rangers have been rumoured to be available with New York falling in the standings.
"Chris Drury, the Rangers general manager is open for business, he's let that be known to other GMs around the league," TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston said on Nov. 26. "Specifically he's mentioned Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider as veteran Rangers players that he'd be willing to move on from under the right circumstances.
"I think this coming to light in the last day or two has sent a shockwave through the Rangers dressing room. A trade of either of these players is not a straight forward transaction. Both have 15-team no-trade clauses included in their contracts so there could be a situation where the team would have to try to work with one of those players in order to get them to be moved on from.
"The mere fact that they're publicly known to be available amongst other Rangers players tells you a little bit about the situation in New York, which might surprise some people. If you look at the standings, the Rangers are holding down a playoff spot at this point but there's been a general displeasure with the performance of some of the veteran players on the Rangers this season. They've dropped three games in a row and management is now considering other options to try to shake things up."
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said on Insider Trading two days later that that Kaapo Kakko’s name had also resurfaced in trade rumours.
Led by group of veterans that includes Trouba, Kreider and Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, who have been together since 2019, the Rangers have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, reaching the Eastern Conference Final twice.
The team rebounded from a first-round exit in 2023 to make the conference final again last year in their first season under Peter Laviolette.