Former Rangers captain believes Jacob Trouba was ‘spiritual leader’ before trade to Ducks

Dave Maloney knows a thing or two about leadership and being captain of the New York Rangers. So, when Maloney offers up his opinion on what Jacob Trouba meant to the Rangers before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December, it’s worth paying attention to.

“There is no question, absolutely no question that he was the spiritual leader of that group. None,” Maloney stated on the Rink Rap podcast. “You talk to any of the younger defensemen, they literally bowed to him. He was a legitimate leader, was the legitimate captain of the group. But life moves on, it goes where it goes.”

Trouba was a heart-and-soul member of the Rangers for six seasons, the final three as captain. His final months with the Rangers were obscured by a downturn in on-ice play and a summer stand-off with management about his desire to stay in New York and Chris Drury’s eagerness to move him and his $8 million annual salary.

And there’s the real rub. The prism by which Rangers management and much of the fanbase viewed Trouba at the end of his time on Broadway. The 30-year-old wasn’t worth his salary cap hit and and was an expendable piece on the roster.

Maloney, the longtime Rangers radio analyst and former captain, completely understands that thinking. He points out Trouba’s broken foot last season as a big issue for his on-ice struggles. But in the end, Trouba’s on-ice value didn’t match the paycheck.

“(Contract) not his fault. It’s the market. That’s what the market was,” Maloney reasoned. “But fans, even hockey insiders, will value someone’s play on the contract, which is fair. But the $8 million a year? That’s what the market dictated and that’s what he got.”

In the short term, Maloney agreed that the Trouba situation was a major distraction and issue for the Rangers, from the summer through training camp, into the season and even for a bit after he was moved to the Ducks as part of a deal for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen.

The Rangers weathered a 4-15-0 stretch in November and December, roughly half of which Trouba was there for. They’re on a better path now, stabilizing the defense corps with Vaakanainen and Will Borgen (acquired from the Seattle Kraken in the Kaapo Kakko trade) and massively upgrading their forward group and changing their identity by trading for J.T. Miller two weeks ago.

Rangers general manager did good job ‘curing some things,” Dave Maloney says

For that, Maloney believes that another former Rangers captain, current general manager Chris Drury, deserves credit.

“Chris and his staff decided to go one way last July and that created some tumultuous stuff. But he rectified it, went out did what they had to do,” Maloney explained. “It’s a little different team now than it was in December. Chris and his staff need to be recognized for curing some things that needed to be cured.”

The results since the New Year are better, largely helped by a 10-game point streak (7-0-3) in January. The Rangers enter the current 4 Nations Face-Off break 11th in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of the second wild card.

Plus they are set up nicely ahead of the trade deadline for more additions, by creating extended room under the salary cap.

“[Drury] has done a good job, not having to eat salaries,” Maloney stated. “I think the blue line is significantly better acquiring both Borgen and Vaakanainen. They’re both bigger presence, good mobility. Borgen plays hard. He’s a little bit more mobile than [Ryan] Lindgren. When he needs to get somewhere, he gets there more quickly. Vaakanainen to me is impressive. I like his game. It’s solid. You don’t notice him a lot. He could warrant more minutes.”

None of this, though, diminishes the impact Trouba had on the Rangers, in Maloney’s mind. This all is a natural progression. But in his time, Trouba was a “legitimate leader” for this group.