Anaheim Ducks acquire Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in trade for Vaakanainen, draft pick
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Ducks acquired New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba on Friday in a trade for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025.
The trade ends Trouba’s five-year tenure with the Rangers, who have lost six of their last seven games. The 30-year-old defenseman joined the Rangers in a trade with Winnipeg in 2019, and he became New York’s captain before the 2022-23 season.
Trouba has been considered one of the NHL’s best checking defensemen at the height of his talents. He has six assists in 23 games this year while struggling to produce offensively at the level of his best seasons, including a career-best 50 points with Winnipeg in 2018-19.
Trouba has been featured in trade rumors since the summer while New York general manager Chris Drury didn’t try to hide his desire for a roster reboot, but Trouba has a robust no-trade clause. He is completing the sixth season of a seven-year, $56 million contract, and his hefty deal has been an impediment to movement.
“I want to sincerely thank Jacob for his contributions to the Rangers and our community,” Drury said in a statement. “Jacob has been an example on and off the ice for our organization and played a major role in our success over the last several years. … He has demonstrated grit, toughness, and tremendous leadership, and we can’t thank Jacob enough for everything he has done for the Rangers.”
The Ducks can accommodate the final 1 1/2 years of Trouba’s deal because they have one of the NHL’s lowest payrolls and ample salary cap space after general manager Pat Verbeek failed to land any top free agents last summer.
Trouba will immediately become a key contributor on the blue line for the Ducks, who are in last place in the Pacific Division. He will also play alongside Anaheim forwards Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano, his teammates with the Rangers during the club’s run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2022.
“Jacob is a highly respected player in this league whose character and leadership qualities on and off the ice are second to none,” Verbeek said. “We believe Jacob has many more years in this league, and hope he is a big part of our future success. It’s rare you are able to acquire a player with Jacob’s experience, stature and ability. On the ice he competes every shift, leads by example and is a presence on the blue line every night.”
The Ducks’ group of defensemen includes captain Radko Gudas, veteran Cam Fowler, free-agent signee Brian Dumoulin and promising youngsters Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov. Anaheim has been solid defensively this season, allowing just 2.96 goals per game after giving up 3.57 last season, but has struggled offensively yet again.
Vaakanainen hasn’t played for Anaheim since Nov. 13 while dealing with an upper-body injury. The veteran played 68 games and scored one goal for the Ducks last season, but he has been injured frequently during his career with Boston and Anaheim.
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This story has been corrected to show the Rangers have lost six of their last seven games, not seven games in a row.
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