New York Rangers won't name team captain after Trouba trade

After forcing former captain Jacob Trouba into an in-season trade, the New York Rangers will not be naming a new captain for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Rangers' head coach Peter Laviolette caught up with Dan Rosen of NHL.com and confirmed the team's plan moving forward for the rest of this season. Laviolette confirmed the team is open to naming another alternate captain, but not in the immediate future and from all accounts the 'C' won't be handed out again this season.

The Rangers moved Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for depth defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The move freed up the Rangers of Trouba's $8 million salary for the rest of this season and next, and gives Rangers' GM Chris Drury a ton of financial flexibility to upgrade his roster, one that he's not been happy with this season.

Trouba was one of the first Rangers to be rumored to be on the trade market, with forward Chris Kreider being the other. Now we wait to see if Kreider's the next to be on the move as it's become quite clear Drury isn't messing around when it comes to making changes. The team threatened Trouba with being put on waivers, in which he wanted no part of, so he agreed to the deal with the Ducks, and a chance to reunite with old friends Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome.

The Rangers have traded their last three captain in season. They currently sit 14-10-1 on the year, and sit in the top wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, however have six teams within four points, and closely on their tails. We now wait and see what's the next trick Drury pulls from under his sleeve.

Photo credit:  Danny Wild-Imagn Images