The New York Rangers start their offseason with a bang, acquiring defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets.
The New York Rangers have acquired the rights to defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft (originally from WPG). pic.twitter.com/rZTXYv4YG1
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 17, 2019
Entering the summer, Trouba will be a restricted free agent, and the Rangers will have to negotiate a new contract with him. You have to believe they think it’s possible to come to an agreement otherwise they would not have given up such a valuable first-round selection.
The pick going back to Winnipeg will be the first-round pick New York acquired in the Kevin Hayes trade back in February at the trade deadline. They have now traded two picks from the 2019 draft, something they mentioned could be possible to help accelerate the rebuild process.
Trouba has been linked to the Rangers for quite some time, dating back to when the defenseman held out for a new a contract and was available via trade. It took some time, but now general manager Jeff Gorton was able to pull the trigger this time.
Last year the 25-year-old defenseman recorded 50 points in 82 games for the Jets last season, doing so while playing 22:53 on average a night. He becomes a major piece for an area that’s been considered a weakness over the last couple of seasons.
Heading to Winnipeg, along with the draft pick, is Neal Pionk, who put up some impressive numbers offensively in his short time with the Rangers. While the offense was there, his defensive struggles helped make him an expendable piece entering the draft.
Trouba is just the beginning of what is expected to be a busy offseason for New York. The Draft is on June 21, followed by free agency and eventually training camp. So far, the New York Rangers summer is off to a great start.
