After four years without a captain, the Rangers will have one again this season.
Defenseman Jacob Trouba is expected to receive the “C” on Tuesday, according to The Post.
Larry Brooks writes:
Trouba had served as an alternate the previous two years while being lauded for his leadership abilities by both his first Rangers coach, David Quinn, and his successor and incumbent, Gerard Gallant.
(…)
Among the sextet of 2021-22 alternates that included Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Barclay Goodrow, Trouba was considered the de facto captain within the organization, the defenseman generally taking on the role of coordinating the club’s off-ice activities.
The Post has learned, for instance, that Trouba arranged for the Norris Trophy to be shipped to New York from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto before the start of last season so it would be present at a team party, celebrating Adam Fox having won the award in 2020-21.
Trouba was excellent for the Blueshirts during their run to the Eastern Conference finals. His open-ice hit on Sidney Crosby swung the first-round series against the Penguins. He’s the type of guy you expect a captain to be. A tough, impactful two-way player. And he can also get storied trophies to arrive in time for parties despite needing to cross the border in these times.
Also worth noting from the report: NHL teams just do not win the Stanley Cup without a captain. That may just be because most teams have a captain. But no captain-less team has raised the Cup since the 1972 Bruins, according to Brooks. And the 1989 Flames had co-captains.
This has been talking hockey in the summer.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
