Jacob Trouba

A report from Ian McLaren –citing Bob McKenzie, so this has legs– is stating that the Rangers are one of the many teams (duh) interested in Winnipeg Jets Jacob Trouba. I’d venture a guess that every team is somewhat interested in him, but the article calls out the Rangers, Avalanche, Bruins, and Coyotes as the teams “most interested” in the 22-year-old defenseman.

The Rangers certainly have the pieces to land Trouba, who requested a trade from the Jets this summer (news only broke last week). Per McKenzie, the ask is a LHD that is comparable to Trouba. Brady Skjei seems to be the piece everyone looks at, but he doesn’t have the pedigree, experience, or NHL success yet.

The interesting thing here is that McKenzie cites Trouba’s agent, stating he wants to be the top right handed guy on any team. While he certainly has the tools and track record to be that guy, would Alain Vigneault deploy him as such? AV has married to Dan Girardi as his top pairing guy with Ryan McDonagh.

It’s a no-brainer that Trouba is better than Girardi, and that a McDonagh-Trouba combo could be lethal. But the Rangers would need to make room by jettisoning one of Girardi or Kevin Klein. Girardi likely isn’t happening, but we’ve discussed how Klein might be the best tool to upgrade the defense.

Trouba is a 22-year-old stud defenseman with all the makings of a top pairing guy. Even if the cost is Brady Skjei, who likely tops out as a top-four guy, it’s something the Rangers should be exploring.

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