Updated at 7:22 PM: The Athletic’s Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh update the Jacob Trouba situation in New York, and here’s what applies to the rumors that he may be traded to the Red Wings…
Despite some momentum building around a Trouba trade on Saturday, nothing materialized, and the Rangers, seemingly eager to move Trouba and all or part of his $8 million cap the next two seasons, may find that this will be a difficult transaction to complete in the window the team needs to free up cap space to make a splash on Monday, when free agency begins.
A league source indicated that Trouba, who still has a no-movement clause until noon on Monday, may not be inclined to help speed this deal along, even if Rangers GM Chris Drury finds a trade fit with the Detroit Red Wings, Trouba’s hometown team.
The Rangers requested Trouba’s 15-team no-trade list earlier this week to try to expedite a deal. Trouba’s no-movement clause becomes a 15-team no-trade clause on Monday, but there are ways that Trouba’s camp, led by agent Kurt Overhardt, can throw a wrench in the Rangers’ plans.
If Trouba waits until Monday to submit his list and word is out that Drury is trying to complete a deal with, say, the Red Wings, Trouba could put Detroit on his no-trade list and veto the move. That could open him up to a destination he might not want or the possibility that Drury could place Trouba on waivers, as he did with Barclay Goodrow last week to get around Goodrow’s veto of a trade to the Sharks. San Jose claimed Goodrow on waivers.
And I’m raising my eyebrow regarding this tidbit, given that Patrick Kane and his agent, Pat Brisson, have said that term is important in Kane’s next contract:
Patrick Kane may be in the mix [along with Jake Guentzel], and the 36-year-old is believed to be open to a one-year deal, which could push him up the list of Ranger targets. Steven Stamkos still appears to be headed to the market despite Tampa’s cap-clearing moves, and he, too, will interest the Rangers, though a one-year deal is unlikely for him.
Continued (paywall); stranger things have happened, but if Kane wants term with Detroit, why would he not want term with the Rangers?
Update: But wait, there’s more!
Newsday’s Colin Stephenson weighs in…
The Athletic reported on Thursday that Drury had asked Trouba, who struggled through a disappointing playoffs this spring, to provide his 15-team no-trade list, which goes into effect Monday. And the natural speculation was that Detroit, which has room under the salary cap and is on the rise after an extended rebuilding period, would be interested and would be a good landing spot for the 30-year-old defenseman, who carries an $8 million cap hit after signing a seven-year, $56 million contract after the Rangers acquired him from Winnipeg in 2019.
Moving Trouba, who had had full no-move protection for the first five years, but only partial no-trade protection for the final two, would open up cap space for the Rangers just in time for the start of the free agent signing period on Monday. Even if the Rangers were forced to retain some of his salary to make a move happen, they would still gain precious cap space that would aid in Drury’s attempts to make a splash in free agency.
And no rumor’s a rumor without the wonderful New York Post’s Larry Brooks dishing dirt:
As the expected Jacob Trouba trade to Detroit remains on hold, it would be kind of ironic, wouldn’t it, if sending No. 8 to the Red Wings would have an influence on Patrick Kane, so that No. 88 remains in place with a contract extension rather than hitting the free-agent market on Monday?
We can deal with the ramifications of a Trouba trade when it is enacted, but if the captain does indeed go to Detroit, the Red Wings — out of the playoffs for a franchise record eight straight seasons — would be in a similar spot as the Rangers were in 2019-20.
That’s when the Blueshirts — out of the playoffs for two years in the wake of The Letter — acquired Trouba from the Jets as a key element of the accelerated rebuild that also featured signing Artemi Panarin as a free agent and trading for Adam Fox’s rights.
…
The Post has learned that Kane, who apparently remains the apple of the Rangers’ eye after the post-deadline 2023 cameo left folks wanting for more, was still in talks Saturday with Detroit GM Steve Yzerman regarding an extension.
The Red Wings, for whom Kane recorded 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games last season after joining the club in late November following his summer hip-resurfacing procedure, can probably offer a longer term deal than the Blueshirts might be comfortable awarding the winger, who will turn 36 in mid-November.
A decision whether to remain clad in the Winged Wheel or hit the open market is expected, well, soon.
