ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jacob Trouba is moving on to the Anaheim Ducks following five-plus seasons in New York, but the former Rangers captain wasn’t thrilled with how things ended.
Trouba was traded to the Ducks on Friday for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick. Trouba said he expects to join the Ducks — which include former Rangers teammates Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano — when they begin a road trip on Monday in Montreal.
Trade speculation swirled around Trouba this summer, and the defenseman invoked his no-trade clause to stay in New York, where his wife, Kelly, is finishing her hospital residency. Rangers general manager Chris Drury ramped up his desire to move Trouba this week, and it was reported on Friday morning that he would waive Trouba if he could not work out a deal.
Trouba confirmed that the Rangers raised the possibility of putting him on waivers if he didn’t agree to a trade and called it “a threat.”
“(Thursday) morning was, ‘Accept this trade or we’re scratching you,’” Trouba said in a video conference call with reporters on Friday. “I said, ‘OK.’ Then it was, ‘Accept this trade or you’re going on waivers,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ And then it got to a point where I felt comfortable with Anaheim and that was a place I wanted to go. I guess you could say I’m thankful that they made that happen.
“Unfortunate, I think, how it all happened. It’s a rite of passage to get fired at MSG.”
Trouba said he felt he was “put in a position this summer to make a decision between my career and my family.”
“And I think I chose my family,” Trouba said. “I would choose my family 100 times over again. I don’t feel bad about that. I was happy about it. I don’t like that it was made public necessarily or how everything unfolded so publicly, but I guess that’s part of New York and what happens.
“(It) may have made it difficult to play kind of with that hanging over everything. Today was — the result is the result, and I guess I’m happy with moving forward. But I’m not overly thrilled with how it went down. I don’t know — (in) my opinion things could have been handled better. I’m not blaming anybody or anything. Just kind of how it happened I felt was kind of unfortunate I think to (end) a lot of good times in New York.”
The Rangers named Trouba as their captain prior to the 2022-23 season. Trouba said trade rumors presented additional challenges in handling that role.
“I was pretty open with players on the team, with the leadership group,” he said. “Leading was a little bit harder for me in that situation, knowing things that were public and, if they weren’t public and other guys didn’t know, I think it would have been a little bit of an easier situation for me. But things unfolded how they did.
“It was tough at times, for sure. Excited that we’re moving past it and kind of got a new start in a way and kind of put all that behind me and worry about playing hockey again.”
Trouba’s contract, with an $8 million AAV, expires after the 2025-26 season. The Ducks aren’t in the same position as the Rangers, a win-now, would-be Stanley Cup contender that is trying to turn around its recent struggles. But Trouba sees possibility, equating the Ducks to where the Rangers were when he joined them in 2019-20.
“I think they have a great opportunity the next couple years,” he said. “It’s kind of a similar situation when I came to New York with really good young players that are ready to take the next step, and if there’s something I can do to come in and help contribute to that, I think that’s my goal.”
Trouba, 30, said he and his wife discussed Anaheim as a potential destination but emphasized that her career opportunities weren’t the decisive factor in approving a trade to the Ducks. UCI Health in the nearby city of Orange has a neuroscience program that could be a fit for Dr. Kelly Tyson-Trouba’s specialized study of brain injuries. Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli have their name on the UC Irvine’s School of Engineering.
“There’s places that she can obviously work that are better than others,” he said. “I think Anaheim is a great opportunity for her as well, if we’re there longer term. It’s something that worked for both of us, so I think that was definitely part of it. Going that deep into it, not really. But, yes, it is a good opportunity for her as well.”
Reflecting on his time in New York, Trouba said: “The day I was named captain is something I’ll always remember. Two conference finals. Presidents’ Trophy. I think even more so, I felt like I had no clue what New York City was when I got here and I feel like I’ve learned and grown so much as a person. Found a love for art. Found a lot of different people that I’ve met that I’ll be lifelong friends with. It’ll always be a piece of my heart definitely in New York. Some place I’ll definitely come back to a lot.
“I’m very grateful for all those memories and (now) kind of turn the page and start something new.”
(Photo of Jacob Trouba: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
