Finally things are starting to calm down for the New York Rangers.
Following two weeks of constant trade rumors and tension within the Rangers organization, Chris Drury traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
It was an emotional and tough day as many members of the Rangers described it. Trouba meant a lot to the team given that he was the captain and has been a staple in the locker room for years.
However, the Rangers were able to use the emotions of the day to rally together en route to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
While Drury is still always willing to make moves, he understands the toll all of this trade drama took on his team, so he wants to really cool down the temperature.
What’s next for #NYR?
Drury: “We certainly are not opposed to making more changes. But big picture, with that said, the team’s been through a lot the last couple weeks, and certainly this week. We’d like to let the dust settle a little bit. Let some of the new players that we’ve…
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) December 7, 2024
“We certainly are not opposed to making more changes,” Drury said via Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today. “But big picture, with that said, the team’s been through a lot the last couple weeks, and certainly this week. We’d like to let the dust settle a little bit. Let some of the new players that we’ve acquired from Anaheim, Berard, Mancini, different pieces – obviously moving out the captain, as well – we’d just like to let the team get settled in with this little bit.”
Many might wonder what the overall vibe around the Rangers is after losing their captain?
It’s actually surprisingly calm given everything that just transpired. The Rangers have been through so much as a group recently and it feels like the Trouba trade was the final stage of this storm of negativity.
New York can finally focus solely on hockey without any outside distractions and it led to a refreshing feeling.
“It’s always a tough day, he is a terrific teammate, a person, did a really good job here with the New York Rangers being captain,” Peter Laviolette said. “That’s an emotional day for everybody. I thought we were able to get past that. When we got past that, I thought we had a decent morning skate and that transferred into the game last night, so I think that’s a positive.”
The trade speculation may be over for now, but all eyes will still be on the Rangers to see if they can get back on track.
