The Rangers still had a game left on Friday night, but word came Friday morning that captain Jacob Trouba would be removed from the game against the Penguins for “roster management” purposes.
Anyone in a locker room knows that such a declaration usually means that the player was last in that locker room.
Chris Kreider, the Blueshirts' longest-tenured player, has chosen to focus solely on the game at hand.
Asked if he had anything to say about Trouba's situation, Kreider said, “Yes, but today is different.” “Today we have to focus on winning the hockey game.”
The Rangers have answered questions about outside noise in recent weeks, but this was the first significant move the organization has made as the team stumbles to 1-6.
Many on the Rangers, in their own ways, echoed Kreider's sentiment that the team should not get distracted by things outside of their control in order to get to the next game as needed.
Still, the human side of accepting the possibility that Trouba, a teammate for five seasons and a captain for three, might leave, easily slips through.
“From what I understand, it's a decision between the team and him,” Mika Zibanejad said, adding that he couldn't say it wasn't a tough situation. “As a player, as a teammate, as a friend, as a human being, obviously we love him to death and what he did and what he did for us. ”
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette spoke with Trouba, Rangers leadership and the entire team after Friday's news announcement.
The veteran head coach said the decision regarding Trouba was made in conjunction with president and general manager Chris Drury.
Although it wasn't intended as a message to the locker room, Laviolette believes the team is aware of their current situation.
“I think everyone understands where we've been this past month and how we've been playing,” he said. “We can't continue on this path or we'll be eliminated from the playoffs.”
Igor Shesterkin started Friday night against the Penguins, making his 19th start of the season.
Victor Mancini returned to the Rangers lineup for the first time since November 23, replacing Trouba along with Zach Jones.
On Thursday, assistant GM Ryan Martin informed Mancini that he would return to play in his 11th game of the season.
Mancini saw a lot of playing time at Hartford, playing in all situations as part of the top defensive pairing.
“Just being in the defensive zone and feeling my play when I put my head up. Vision is a big part of my game and it definitely allows me to make breakouts,” Mancini said. talked about what he is focusing on with the Wolfpack.
“Put the puck on the player's tape. You know you can put it on the wall, right? But it would be a lot easier if you could get out of the zone cleanly. Just make sure you get the puck on the net in the offensive zone. You don't have to score from it, but you can create a lot of second chances and create a lot of chaos.”
