The New York Rangers weren’t the most active team at the start of free agency.
They signed only one player from outside the organization (Sam Carrick) and traded for another (Reilly Smith).
One possible reason for that is the franchise having to deal with internal issues first.
Most prominently, those include the ongoing saga involving team captain and star blueliner Jacob Trouba.
The Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings had a trade “in the works” during the draft weekend, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported on June 29.
Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported on July 9 that Trouba blocked a trade to Detroit by including the Red Wings in his 15-team no-trade list.
Appearing on the Hockey Night in New York podcast, former Rangers GM confirmed on July 8 that Trouba had indeed blocked the move to his hometown, and warned the Rangers about the situation they’re getting into.
“Now you’ve got some muddy waters with maybe the most important guy on your team—the captain—the guy that has the most influence in the locker room,” Smith said.
“So it’s gonna be something that they’re gonna have to handle. It’s a bit of a mess, at least from the outside.”
Smith mentioned potential “mental trouble” affecting Trouba ahead of the 2024-25 season, saying the Rangers will need to “get Trouba back.”
