NY Rangers Accelerate Their Rebuild By Acquiring Jacob Trouba For Peanuts

Yesterday, Rangers Twitter was buzzing after beat writer Larry Brooks wrote the Rangers (along with NJ & the Isles) were in hot pursuit of 25 year-old RFA RHD Jacob Trouba. Not that the chase for Trouba was a surprise, but he speculated a price tag of the 20th pick, Pavel Buchnevich & last year’s final first-round selection Nils Lundkvist. Most thought paying that much was absurd. I agreed the price was high, but all-situation right-shot blueliners who eat 23 minutes a night, are under team control & just entering their prime don’t come cheap. Boy, was I wrong.

In fairness, the cap-crunched Jets didn’t have much leverage. Trouba wanting out of Winnipeg has been an annual story that finally came to a head with the Blueshirts winning the grand prize. All it took was shipping their own first-rounder back to them (acquired in the Hayes deal) and Neal Pionk. Pionk was already expendable after the acquisition of Hobey Baker finalist Adam Fox so it only helped NY to include him in the swap. Really can’t ask for a better deal as it essentially breaks down to a couple months of Kevin Hayes for Brendan Lemieux & Trouba.

Obviously there’s a little uncertainty here. Trouba is an RFA for the upcoming season & may want to test the unrestricted waters next summer – but if there’s a franchise that can put the best sales pitch forward it’s the Rangers. With Kakko to join on Friday, Kravtsov, Fox, Chytil, Hajek, Andersson ready and Shesterkin, Miller, Lundkvist waiting for their turns – there’s no reason not to sign up & anchor the back end for the next 7 years. Worst case, the Rangers can recoup their first-round pick at next year’s trade deadline if Trouba doesn’t want to commit. He does it all – hits, blocks shots, plays both special teams, moves the puck well…it’s the perfect match for both sides. This acquisition should certainly get the attention of other UFA’s with the Rangers on their lists.

I’m looking at you, Artemi Panarin. See you July 1.

What the knock-off effect is remains to be seen, but if they can work out a long-term deal (if it’s anywhere around the 7 years, $7.5M per Brooks speculated, that’s a bargain) a buyout of Shattenkirk makes too much sense with Trouba, Fox & Deangelo on the right side (25, 21, 23 years old) and Nils Lundkvist a year or two away. Panarin money doesn’t grow on trees.

As for the Negative Nancy’s whining about how they’re “not sure Trouba is a #1″…fuck off. Find me 30 right-shot defenders better than him, let alone anywhere near 25 years old. I’ll wait…