Rangers Acquire Jacob Trouba From Jets

The New York Rangers have made a big splash before even the NHL Draft and free agency.

Today, the Rangers announced that they have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets. The Rangers will send defenseman Neal Pionk, as well as the 20th overall pick in this week's draft. That pick had been previously acquired from Winnipeg as part of the Kevin Hayes trade to Philadelphia.

Trouba is coming off a big year that saw him collect 50 points, including 8 goals and 42 points, and averaging around 23 minutes per game in the regular season. However, despite those numbers, there had been rumors swirling that the trade was likely, which expectations that it would happen either before the draft or during it.

Back in 2016, the 25-year-old held out of training camp and had requested a trade at that time before rescinding his request and signing in November of that year. However, there was a belief that his commitment to the team long-term had wavered, especially after opting to go through the arbitration process this last summer.

Now it's up to Rangers GM Jeff Gorton to get Trouba to commit long-term. The Jets had reportedly not granted permission to speak to Trouba about a deal before the trade was made. Now that the Rangers have that option, it looks like they will offer him a $5.5 million qualifying offer later this month before free agency opens. A long-term deal could approach $7MM-$8MM when the contract is said and done.

When he is finally signed and committed, it's likely he will slot in as their top defenseman.

Trouba's acquisition from the Jets come in the wake of Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson signing a massive deal to stay in San Jose. Current Jets defenseman Tyler Myers is also expected to re-sign with the Jets, so it's clear that defenseman are a long-term investment and the Rangers certainly needed one.

As for the Jets, Pionk is a restricted free agent this summer and is eligible for salary arbitration. He has inexperience on an NHL roster so he won't command a large salary and the Jets still have to sign free agent wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, as well as Myers. Shedding Trouba's contract was crucial in getting extra money to get its stars under contract.

Now we'll see what happens with both the extra prospect they get and the signings they make. While I don't like the deal for the Jets because it gives up one of their star defensemen, they don't have a lot of money to work with, unlike a lot of other team. Plus, Myers is their most important defenseman that they don't want to lose. Having enough money to pay them what he likes is important, so Trouba getting traded was important for him.

The Rangers are getting some massive help here too because they don't have a lockdown defenseman that they can rely on when needed to. When Trouba comes in and signs his qualifying offer, he will immediately fill that hole. They've struggled last season in defense.