Jacob Trouba Opens Up About Messy Exit From Rangers

Yesterday, the NHL was hit with a massive surprise as reports emerged about the New York Rangers scratching their captain, Jacob Trouba. Within hours, speculation shifted to the possibility of Trouba being traded or waived. By late afternoon, those rumors were confirmed when the Rangers announced they had traded Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.

---

---

This type of situation isn’t something that NHL fans are used to seeing. The team essentially strong-armed the player into deciding for fear of being waived. In Trouba’s case, he had a 15-team no-trade clause that he was forced to waive, or else he would be placed on waivers. Furthermore, if he were to be on the wire, any of the 31 other NHL teams — realistically, only a handful had the cap space — could have placed a claim on him.

Trouba Speaks On Trade Fiasco

After a tough afternoon, Trouba spoke with the media about it. Here’s what he had to say:

“I’ll be honest, I was put in a position this summer to make a decision between my career and my family, and I chose my family. I would choose my family 100 times over again.”

He added, “Yesterday morning it was accept this trade, or we’re scratching you. I said okay. Then it was accept this trade, or you’re going on waivers. I said okay. It’s a rite of passage to get fired from MSG.”

Trouba was extremely honest when talking about how the trade between the Rangers and the Ducks went down. Regardless of him being visually frustrated about how the whole fiasco transpired. He did mention that he felt the Ducks were the right fit for him.

He now joins Radko Gudas, who, aside from Trouba, is likely the best open-ice hitter in the NHL. The Ducks blue line will be very strong and skilled over the next two seasons.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Leafs, Rangers Have Big Day