Jacob Trouba named captain of the New York Rangers

After four seasons without a captain even though we were promised to have a captain for the most recent season by Coach Gerard Gallant. Although it is a year later than promised the New York Rangers announced this morning that veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba is the newest New York Rangers captain. This makes him the 28th captain in franchise history.

Trouba who was traded to the Rangers over the summer three seasons ago has been a massive part of a young defensive core. Whether or not you like him the game he brings to the core is exactly what the team needs. Trouba plays with an edge and isn’t afraid to throw his body to make a play.

Trouba has also been a great catalyst for K’Andre Miller's career. He has been the stay-at-home defenseman who allows Key to be the offensively minded defenseman he is and lets him jump into the play when on the rush while being a safety net for Miller.

Now that the player is out of the way let’s talk about why Trouba is a leader in the locker room and deserves to be the captain. The easiest way to see this is the way of looking at what players are in the room with him day in and day out and seeing their reactions.

Mika Zibanejad who was here when Trouba was traded to the team and is one of the veterans on the team that has seen immense change in the past few years was quoted as saying.

“I was waiting for this to happen. I’m really excited for him. He is very honest and very genuine as a leader. Everyone in the locker room respects him and I think it was a great choice.” said Mika

Over the past few seasons, it has been kind of obvious that Trouba was the captain and he just didn’t have the “C” on the jersey. He came in during a time of massive change for the team. Ryan McDonagh had just been traded the season prior and Henrik Lundqvist was kind of the main leader in the room although he moved on from the rangers shortly after.

Chris Kreider who many assumed was going to be named the captain as he is the longest-tenured player on the team had said he viewed Trouba as the guy to be captain.

Barclay Goodrow who had his first year with the Rangers had this to say about the news.

“Right from Day 1 of my time on the team, he was the definite leader. Right when I signed with New York, he was the first guy to reach out and answer any questions that I had about the city and the team. It was pretty evident that he has what it takes and he sets the tone for our team. He has all the tools it takes to not only be a captain in the NHL, but the captain for the Rangers.” said Goodrow.

Adam Fox also spoke on how much he has learned from Trouba in the years they have played together and the influence he’s had on both Fox and Lindgren as they continue to develop into top defensemen for the team.

Trouba I think is a great choice for the captain for the position this team is in. This next year the rangers look to take the next step after a great run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Trouba is the guy to lead this team to the next step.

The only worry I have is that with the 8 million dollar cap hit he holds the Rangers may look for him to be the next player that needs to be moved out to make room for contracts for Lafreniere, Chytil, and Miller. Unless they can solve it in a different way Trouba does seem to be the odd man out. Although for now I do like Trouba as captain and he is the perfect candidate for it.

The season is only a couple of months away and I can’t wait. Looking forward to a great season and hopefully a season to remember.