The New York Rangers finally made a massive move to try to turn their season around. After starting the season 13-10-1, many knew a big change was needed in New York. This came late Friday afternoon, when the Blueshirts managed to pull off a trade sending their captain out West.
Rangers exchange Trouba for Vaakanainen and a draft pick
After failing to trade Jacob Trouba this past summer, Rangers GM Chris Drury managed to convince the team captain to finally waive his no-trade clause. Per Vince Mercogliano, the Blueshirts have traded Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen, a 2017 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
In this deal, the Blueshirts are not retaining a single cent of Trouba’s $8 million cap hit. The defenseman’s hefty price tag was the main reason for this trade, being far too high even after a bounce-back season from Trouba.
New York is set up for success this offseason
One of the key storylines this season has been goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s upcoming free agency. He’s asking for a record-setting deal, and it would have been nearly impossible for Drury to get the deal done. Now, with an extra $8 million off the books, re-signing the world’s best goaltender seems a lot more likely.
Per PuckPedia, the Rangers now have nearly $6 million in projected cap space to work with this season. They will have nearly $30 million in projected cap space to prepare for next year before making any signings. This trade has opened up many doorways for Drury and the Rangers to figure this out and become a Stanley Cup-winning team.