Just as they added a key piece before the trade deadline, the Rangers lost a key piece.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury announced in a conference call with reporters Friday night that captain Jacob Trouba will be sidelined for two to three weeks with a lower-body injury.
“We’re very confident that Jacob will be back, well-rested, and ready to go once his lower body recovers,” Drury said. “We will definitely welcome him back.”
Drury said there are no plans to put Trouba on injured reserve at this time, but that “that’s always an option later on.”
Trouba has missed the past two practices, which head coach Peter Laviolette initially classified as consecutive absences.
It’s unclear how or when Trouba was injured, but the 30-year-old defenseman will be sidelined with an injury for the first time this season.
The Rangers acquired depth defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Penguins in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Ruwedel is expected to compete with Zach Jones for the seventh defenseman role while Trouba is out.
“Given the various circumstances, we have spoken with 31 other GMs over the last four to six weeks. [Friday], I just felt like Chad was a great option,” Drury said when asked why he didn’t prioritize defense more during the Trouba news. “We don’t have a lot of right-handed defensemen in our system. We had Mac Hollowell in Hartford, but we just felt like we had Chad coming in and we felt his experience and leadership would be a great fit for us. ”
In 60 games so far this season, Trouba has three goals and 19 assists for 22 points.
He remains a mainstay in the Rangers’ top four alongside K’Andre Miller, and the duo has been tasked with top-line duties throughout the 2023-24 season.
