The New York Rangers came up short again on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, losing the game 4-3 after entering the third period with a 3-2 lead, and captain Jacob Trouba spoke on what the team is going through amid the 4-game losing streak and trade rumors looming over the veteran players.
“We’re going through a little bit of adversity as a group,” Jacob Trouba said, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “Everybody knows it’s probably a better effort for us, but there’s not really any moral victories at this level. We’ve got to keep grinding, keep putting the work in and turn this thing around as a group.”
It was a better effort for the Rangers on Wednesday than in many of their recent losses. However, Trouba said the team is not taking any moral victories. Given the way the team is struggling, and the rumors that president Chris Drury is open for business regarding trades, specifically surrounding veterans Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren.
What is the Rangers’ best route forward?
The Rangers are filled with experienced veterans in key spots, but it has been the youth of the team that has performed best as of late. Players like Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle have been performing well as of late, and Brett Berard scored his first NHL goal in the loss against the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Players like Trouba, Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and other veterans expected to produce have disappointed, which is why Drury might be looking to shake things up.
The tough part is a player like Zibanejad, who has arguably been the most disappointing, has a full no-movement clause in his contract, so he is with the Rangers fore the long haul. It will be interesting to see if there are any moves the Rangers and Drury can make to help out in the near future. It is hard to imagine that the Rangers would get someone able to fill the void that Kreider would leave if he is traded, but revamping the defensive pairings could make sense. Both Trouba and Lindgren have struggled, and we already know that Trouba has dealt with trade rumors going back to this summer.
The Rangers will get a chance to bounce back with two games against the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens on Friday and Saturday. Those are two teams the Rangers should expect to beat, and winning both of those games could quiet some of the concerns.
