Trouba: Rangers exit ‘unfortunate,’ affected play
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
Defenseman Jacob Trouba called out the New York Rangers for how they handled his eventual trade to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, saying months of public speculation affected his ability to serve as the team’s captain.
“I wasn’t really thrilled with how it went down. In my opinion, things could have been handled better,” he said. “It’s unfortunate how it all happened. But it’s a rite of passage to get fired from MSG.”
Trouba, 30, was traded to the Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick. Anaheim takes on all of Trouba’s contract, which carries an $8 million average annual value through the 2025-26 season.
The Rangers had been trying to move Trouba since last offseason to open salary cap space and create more opportunities for their younger defensemen. Trouba had a no-movement clause in his contract until July, when it converted to a 15-team no-trade clause. Because of that trade protection, a deal didn’t materialize before this season.
“I was put in a situation this summer to make a decision between my career and my family,” he said. “I chose my family. I’d choose my family 100 times over again. I don’t feel bad about that.
“I don’t like that everything unfolded so publicly. I guess that’s part of New York.”
The Rangers have struggled recently, with six regulation losses in seven games entering Friday. In response to that lack of success, general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the other 31 NHL teams saying he was ready to make trades, specifically mentioning forward Chris Kreider and Trouba as being available.
Trouba said the Rangers came to him Thursday morning and asked him to accept a trade or be scratched for their game Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Trouba did not participate in the Rangers’ morning skate and wasn’t scheduled to play against Pittsburgh for “roster management purposes” but refused to waive his no-trade clause.
He said his breaking point was when the Rangers told him to accept a trade or end up on waivers, from which his no-trade clause would not protect him.
“Yeah, it was a threat,” he said.
Drury used that tactic last summer with forward Barclay Goodrow, who had three years left on his contract. Goodrow was placed on waivers and claimed by the San Jose Sharks in a prearranged move.
If Trouba were put on waivers, he would lose any control over his next NHL destination.
Trouba and his family first discussed Anaheim as a possible next stop during the summer.
“There was going to be a trade at some point, and Anaheim was one of the places my wife and I were interested in,” he said.
After the threat of waivers, Trouba agreed to a trade, ending months of speculation that the defenseman said negatively affected him on and off the ice. Trouba has six assists and a minus-3 rating while averaging 20 minutes this season, which was his sixth with the Rangers.
“It was difficult to play with that hanging over me,” he said.
Trouba said his lame duck status made him an ineffective captain, a position he had held with the Rangers since the 2022-23 season.
“I was pretty open with players on the team,” he said. “Leading was a little bit harder for me in that situation, knowing things were public.”
For the Rangers, trading Trouba’s full contract gave them financial clarity for this season and next. Hours after the trade, they signed star goalie Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension with an $11.5 million average annual value that begins in 2025-26. It’s the highest cap hit for a goalie in NHL history.
And Friday night, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2, returning to a Madison Square Garden dressing room that no longer had Trouba’s nameplate inside of it.
“It’s always tough when you lose a guy, especially when it’s the captain and a leader on the team,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “When you’re losing like this, you take blame on yourself when stuff like this happens. It’s a business, and management has to do something when you continue to lose.
“It’s sad, but it’s on us to be better. We love each other in here. We want everyone to stay in this locker room. That’s what it’s going to take in order to do that.”
Trocheck said Trouba didn’t let the stress of the past few months of trade speculation “slip into the team” as captain.
“But you can imagine when you’re in one of the biggest hockey markets in the league and the captain and those kind of rumors are out there, it’s got to be extremely tough to put on a brave face, come to the rink and be that leader every day,” he said.
With the Trouba trade behind them and a big win against a division rival, Trocheck said there was a sense of relief in the Rangers locker room.
“There has been a cloud over our heads for a little while,” he said. “When you lose games, that’s what happens. And it takes wins like this — and more passion and emotion out of everybody — to get rid of that.”
For Trouba, the trade offers a fresh start with a young team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018 — one that he compared favorably to the retooling Rangers squad he joined after New York acquired him from the Winnipeg Jets in 2018. He said having two former teammates in Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano on the Ducks will make the transition easier as well.
While the end of his tenure with the Rangers left him bitter, Trouba said he will have fond memories from his time there.
“I loved it,” he said. “The captaincy was extremely special. Two conference finals. Even more so, I had no clue what New York City was when I got here, and I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person. There will always been a piece of my heart in New York.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson experienced his first crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, the second day that Indianapolis 500 drivers participated in open testing on the 2.5-mile oval.
The 2021 NASCAR champion spun coming out of the first turn, hit the wall and bounced down to the warmup lane before tapping the wall a second time and eventually rolling to a stop.
Larson blamed himself, saying he forgot to hit the weight jacker going into the turn. But he also tried to find some positive from the incident.
“I’m happy to crash my first Indy car and live through it,” Larson said.
IN THE WALL 😬@KyleLarsonRacin makes contact with the wall exiting Turn 1 and in Turn 2.
📺: INDYCAR YouTube pic.twitter.com/5TE5c1BXDs
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 24, 2025
An Arrow McLaren official told The Indianapolis Star that Larson will not take part in the Thursday afternoon practice session due to the crash damage. The team decided not to rush the repairs, which would have left minimal practice time at best, the official said.
Larson is attempting to complete “the double” by racing in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. His first attempt was thwarted by a rain delay in the 2024 Indy 500 that saw him arrive to the NASCAR race just as that race was called off for weather.
He wasn’t the only familiar name to crash Thursday. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato crashed shortly after Larson, losing the back end of his car in the first turn and smacking the wall hard in the short chute before rolling to a stop.
“Lost it,” Sato said. “I simply lost it.”
Both drivers were checked at the infield hospital and released.
Graham Rahal also tapped the wall late in Wednesday’s practice.
Series officials added horsepower to the cars for the Thursday morning session as they test the IndyCar hybrid, which makes its IMS debut next month. An afternoon session without the boost closes out the two-day test.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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