Defenseman Jacob Trouba Makes New York Rangers History

Defenseman Jacob Trouba will do in 2022 what no New York Rangers player has done since 2018.

On Tuesday, it was announced that the 28-year-old will become the new captain of the Rangers, becoming the 28th player to wear the “C” for New York and the first since defenseman Ryan McDonagh was traded back in 2018.

The former first-round pick spent his first six NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets before being traded to New York in the summer of 2019. The upcoming season will be his fourth as a member of the Blueshirts.

Last year was by far his best campaign with the Rangers. Trouba played in 81 games, scoring 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points and a plus-25 rating.

He contributed to both the power play and the penalty kill for the Rangers and scored five points in the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final.

Jacob Trouba is the new captain of the Rangers.

In his career, Trouba has appeared in 597 contests, tallying 62 goals and 195 assists for 257 points. His best season came with the Jets in 2018-2019 when he recorded eight goals and 42 assists for 50 points. He was a plus-8 that year after playing all 82 games.

To me, Trouba was a bit of a surprise as the choice to be the team’s new captain, as players such as Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad could also have been considered to fill that role.

One would assume that the energy and effort that Trouba brings to the ice each night is a big reason that the Rangers chose him to be the leader of this club.

At times last season, especially in the playoffs, Trouba crossed, or at least came close to crossing, the line between clean plays and dirty plays, but for the Rangers, that high energy, provided it stays in check, is an attractive quality in a captain.

The Rangers will enter the 2022-2023 season with high expectations, and now as captain, Jacob Trouba will be expected to help shoulder the extra pressure that comes with last year’s incredible run.