Will veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba play for the New York Rangers during the 2024-25 season?
If the New York Rangers are dead set on parting ways with Jacob Trouba, there might only be one remaining route — and it comes with a lot of risk.
During a Bleacher Report article listing potential landing spots for Trouba via trade, NHL writer Adam Gretz concluded that the most “realistic” outcome is that the Rangers captain remains in New York for the 2024-25 campaign. However, he did offer a “really dramatic” alternative.
“The Rangers—and Trouba—might simply be stuck with one another for the foreseeable future,” Gretz said at the tail end of the column. “Unless the team does something really dramatic like waive him and hope that somebody claims him like the [San Jose] Sharks did with [Barclay] Goodrow.”
Of course, there’s a reason NYR general manager Chris Drury has been more cautious about waiving Trouba.
Risks of Rangers Waiving Jacob Trouba
The most glaring risk when it comes to waiving Trouba is the impact that it will have on the locker room.
There are several leaders that could step up and wear the “C” if the veteran defenseman were traded but releasing him is another story. Especially after a messy offseason in which Trouba has already vetoed a Rangers trade attempt and expressed a strong desire to remain in New York.
“Trouba is not pleased with the way this has gone down and does not want to move his family, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, one of whom said it will require ‘a major clean up’ to mend fences if the captain sticks around,” USA Today reporter Vincent Mercogliano informed on July 1. “His wife, Kelly, has a medical career in New York and their first child, Axel, arrived in January.”
Then there’s the chance that no one claims Trouba — leaving the Rangers with the long-term financial burden of a buyout.
According to Spotrac, NYR would actually free up $4 million worth of space both this season and next season if they bought out Trouba. The downside is that they would incur dead cap penalties of $2 million in 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Lastly, the Rangers would weaken their defensive depth by parting ways with Trouba. And as rough of a playoff performance as the 30-year-old had this spring, are there really any significant upgrades that are still available in free agency?
Rangers Re-Sign Defensemen Braden Schneider & Chad Ruhwedel
If the Rangers are still planning some sort of Trouba maneuver, they laid some groundwork for it on July 12 and 13.
First, the original six franchise re-signed 2023 reserve Chad Ruhwedel, a 12-year veteran of the league.
“The NYR have agreed to a 1-year contract with D Chad Ruhwedel, the team’s announced,” Newsday Sports beat reporter Colin Stephenson informed. “The contract is a two-way deal that pays $775,000 at the NHL level, a source says. He’ll be a right-handed depth D.”
Ruhwedel only appeared in five games for the Rangers in 2023-24 but has a long history playing in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. He has been on the ice for 364 regular season games throughout his career with another 25 playoff appearances, recording 49 total points, 664 hits, 374 blocked shots and a +/- of -12 (including the postseason).
The more important reunion came on July 13 as the Rangers came to terms with restricted free agent Braden Schneider — a former first-round selection in 2020.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported a two-year deal worth $2.2 million per season.
In three campaigns with the pro club, Schneider has appeared in 206 regular season games and 43 playoff outings. He has achieved a regular season +/- of +13 so far, with 48 points, 374 hits and 315 blocked shots in 15:44 minutes of average ice time per game.
Schneider also has six playoff points (one goal) and a +/- of -3, with 75 hits and 62 blocked shots.
The major area that the Rangers would probably like to see the young defenseman improve is puck management. Schneider has been charged with 142 giveaways in three seasons (including playoffs), compared to just 61 takeaways.
