NHL analyst defends Rangers Jacob Trouba's over recent decision to hold off trade due to wife Kelly

By Evan Bell

Modified Jul 02, 2024 20:39 GMT

According to reports, Jacob Trouba has effectively shut down talk of a trade to Detroit, adding the Red Wings to his no-trade list according to widespread reports. While there had been optimism that Trouba would land in Detroit, that is no longer the case. As some fans are already aware, part of the reason Trouba landed in New York was because of his wife.

Back in 2019, Trouba signed with the New York Rangers on a five-year deal with a no-movement clause. The deal was signed with his wife, Kelly Tyson-Trouba in mind. At the time, she began a residency at a local New York hospital.

That residency isn't up until next July, meaning that a potential trade would have disastrous effects on her residency. The couple would either have to live apart until next July when her residency is up, or pull the plug and relocate her residency early.

Given that, NHL analyst Matt Larkin believes that fan outrage over Trouba adding Detroit to his no-trade list is confusing. In a post on social media, he wrote:

"Uproar over Trouba confuses me. Do #NYR fans suddenly forget why he was traded to the Rangers in the first place? The man is devoted to his partner. You may not like it, but it's not something to hate on a person for. It's commendable to me"

Looking at Jacob Trouba's future with the Rangers this offseason

Given that Jacob Trouba has a no-movement clause in his contract, if New York wants to trade him their options are limited. According to reports, on Monday Trouba handed the Rangers a list of 15 teams they can't trade him to.

As a result, the franchise now has just barely more than half of the league with whom they can negotiate. According to a report from the New York Post, Trouba didn't explicitly turn down the trade to the Detroit Red Wings, meaning that a trade could still happen to a team not on his no-trade list.

Of course, he would then have to pack up and leave his wife and son behind until her residency finishes next summer. Given that he signed with New York to help his wife take the next step toward becoming a physician, it seems unlikely that he would be willing to leave her and his soon-to-be one-year-old son behind.

Another possibility is that the Rangers trade Jacob Trouba to another east-coast team like the Devils or the Islanders if neither appeared on his no-trade list. Despite that, it seems highly unlikely that the team would ship their captain to a divisional rival.

With the NHL offseason just getting going, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the rest of the summer. As things stand right now, it sounds as though Jacob Trouba is likely to return to New York, where he is expected to be on the team's third defensive line despite making $8M next year.