The New York Rangers weren’t the most active team at the start of free agency. They signed only one player from outside the organization (Sam Carrick) and traded for another (Reilly Smith).

One possible reason for that is the franchise having to deal with internal issues first. Most prominently, those include the ongoing saga involving team captain and star blueliner Jacob Trouba.

The Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings had a trade “in the works” during the draft weekend, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported on June 29. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported on July 9 that Trouba blocked a trade to Detroit by including the Red Wings in his 15-team no-trade list.

Appearing on the Hockey Night in New York podcast, former Rangers GM confirmed on July 8 that Trouba had indeed blocked the move to his hometown, and warned the Rangers about the situation they’re getting into.

“Now you’ve got some muddy waters with maybe the most important guy on your team—the captain—the guy that has the most influence in the locker room,” Smith said. “So it’s gonna be something that they’re gonna have to handle. It’s a bit of a mess, at least from the outside.”

Smith mentioned potential “mental trouble” affecting Trouba ahead of the 2024-25 season, saying the Rangers will need to “get Trouba back.”

Trouba has two years left on his seven-year, $56 million contract. His production was subpar in the 2023-24 season, scoring just 3 goals and adding 19 assists for 22 total points in 69 regular-season games. Trouba only contributed 1 goal and 6 assists in 16 postseason contests.

Jacob Trouba Blocked Red Wings Trade for Family Reasons

Just when everybody thought Trouba was on his way to Detroit to play for the Red Wings, a trade never materialized with details about the reasons for that emerging slowly but surely.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported on June 29 that New York and Detroit were “working on a deal.” Two days later, on July 1, Brooks confirmed that the Rangers had determined to move on from their captain.

“If Trouba does not approve a trade to Detroit that is believed in place, he will ultimately be sent somewhere else, perhaps by waivers,” Brooks wrote. “The decision has been made.”

Later that day, Vince Mercogliano of USA Today revealed on July 1 the reasons behind Trouba’s inclusion of the Red Wings in the 15-team no-trade baked into his contract. Trouba is displeased with the Rangers’ way of dealing with him and doesn’t want to relocate his family.

“(Trouba’s) wife, Kelly, has a medical career in New York and their first child, Axel, arrived in January,” Mercogliano reported. “Regardless of how [the situation] turns out, the state of the locker room is a concern.”

Larry Brooks of the New York Post confirmed that information nearly at the same time.

“When Trouba signed in 2019, his no-movement clause was designed to expire in conjunction with his wife Kelly Tyson-Trouba’s completion of her three-year residency at a New York hospital,” Brooks reported. “There is no guarantee that Trouba would accept a trade even to a club on his approved list if that means leaving his wife and nine-month-old (as of training camp) behind.”

Could Rangers End Up Waiving Jacob Trouba?

NHL analyst Adam Gretz wrote an article for Bleacher Report on July 12 listing five potential landing spots for Trouba. He 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: waiving the captain.

“The Rangers—and Trouba—might simply be stuck with one another for the foreseeable future,” Gretz wrote. “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.”

Back in mid-June, the Rangers placed former franchise forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers. That made him available for claims by all other 29 NHL franchises. The Sharks jumped at the occasion, claiming him and landing Goodrow on their roster for the 2024-25 season via waivers.

Welcome back, Barclay! 🦈

🔗: https://t.co/YxfB2tGP5t pic.twitter.com/MAmlPpZJa9

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 19, 2024

What made the situation a bit murky was Goodrow’s inclusion of San Jose on his no-trade list. The Rangers circumvented that by waiving him and waiting for the Sharks to claim him.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post revealed some details about the saga on June 19. According to Brooks, Goodrow might have added the Sharks to his 15-team no-trade list.

“After speaking to multiple sources on Wednesday, there is widespread belief that Barclay Goodrow had included the Sharks on his 15-team, no-trade list. GM Chris Drury got around by placing No. 21 on waivers, where San Jose exercised the first claim,” Brooks wrote. “We’re told that Goodrow’s 15-trade list included teams in less-than-desirable locations and those who are not contenders. San Jose would fit into that last category. But the 31-year-old’s feelings did not enter into this.”