The New York Rangers came into this season hoping for a fresh start. They brought in Mike Sullivan behind the bench, banking on his experience and leadership to steady a team that had clearly lost its way.
But halfway through the campaign, it’s clear the issues in New York run deeper than coaching. The Rangers find themselves sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference, and while General Manager Chris Drury is avoiding the word “rebuild,” the team’s recent moves say otherwise.
One of the more glaring storylines in this unraveling season? The growing list of former Rangers finding success elsewhere. And right now, no one is making more noise than former captain Jacob Trouba.
Trouba, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks after a rocky exit from New York, is thriving out west. The Ducks are in playoff position heading into the Olympic break, and Trouba is playing with a freedom and energy that seemed to have vanished during his final years in the Big Apple. After Anaheim’s 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, Trouba didn’t hold back when asked about his new surroundings.
“If I’m going to be honest, I’m having a little more fun than I had the last couple years,” Trouba said in a postgame interview with NHL on TNT.
It was a subtle jab - but a pointed one. And for Rangers fans who remember how things ended, it likely stung.
Trouba’s departure was anything but smooth. The tension started long before the deal with Anaheim was finalized.
Back in the summer of 2023, Drury placed forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers - a move that caught many in the locker room off guard. Goodrow was claimed by the San Jose Sharks, a team on his 15-team no-trade list, and later revealed that Drury hadn’t communicated with him during the process.
That decision reportedly fractured trust within the room.
Fast forward to Trouba’s situation. The Rangers made it known they were open to trading him, despite the defenseman holding a no-movement clause.
Trouba initially declined to waive it, citing family reasons. But according to Trouba, the front office applied pressure - suggesting he’d be placed on waivers like Goodrow if he didn’t agree to a trade.
Eventually, he accepted a deal to Anaheim.
It was a stunning fall for a player who, just a few years earlier, had been one of Drury’s cornerstone acquisitions. Brought in via trade in 2019 and later named captain, Trouba was expected to be a foundational piece of the Rangers’ blue line.
But as the team struggled and his defensive numbers declined, he became a lightning rod for criticism. Fair or not, he became the face of the team’s shortcomings.
Now, he’s in a different conference, on a playoff-caliber team, and clearly enjoying the ride. His comments this week didn’t just reflect personal satisfaction - they echoed the frustrations that seemed to weigh on him during his final stretch in New York.
And he’s not alone. Trouba is part of a growing group of ex-Rangers who’ve found a second wind elsewhere. With the March 6 trade deadline approaching, there’s a real chance that list gets longer.
For the Rangers, the focus now shifts to the future - whether they call it a rebuild or not. But for fans watching Trouba flourish in Anaheim, it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been if things had played out differently.