On Friday, all hell broke loose literally. In what amounted to a mutiny, the Rangers forced Jacob Trouba to accept a trade or be placed on waivers. When he wasn’t on waivers at the 2 PM deadline, it was pretty obvious that Trouba had played his last game for the Rangers.

Rumors had been circulating yesterday when it was revealed that Trouba would be a healthy scratch for Friday night’s win against the Penguins. They recalled Victor Mancini from the Wolf Pack to replace Trouba in the lineup.

Once it became evident that Trouba was on the move, the question was which team would take him. As many as five teams all had interest in acquiring the former Rangers captain. But when the dust settled, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury traded Trouba to the Ducks in exchange for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth round pick.

While the return wasn’t a lot, unless you think a failed former Bruins 2017 first round pick will amount to something, Drury was able to unload Trouba’s remaining salary. The Ducks absorbed the entire $8 million cap hit on a contract that expires in 2026. Even the staunchest Drury critic should be able to give him credit for finding a taker for Trouba. As much as I dislike him due to how he handled both the summer and by hanging a dark cloud over the locker room when he publicly made both Trouba and Chris Kreider available, he somehow subtracted a player who admitted in a Zoom interview that it became a distraction for him.

In getting rid of Trouba, the Rangers increased their projected cap space to $5.9 million. Once they recalled both Mancini and Matthew Robertson, who hopefully will make his NHL debut sooner rather than later, they decreased their projected cap space to $4.8 million. Puck Pedia spelled all of it out on Twitter/X.

As far as what can happen at next year’s trade deadline due to having much more cap space, it’s hard to predict what they’ll do. Even with a much needed 4-2 victory over the Pens last night, can anyone say for certain what the Rangers are? They beat a mediocre team. Whoopty do. They get another middling opponent tomorrow when the Kraken visit Madison Square Garden on my birthday. Whose brilliant idea was it to have a 1 PM start on a football Sunday in December?

With the Blackhawks coming in Monday night after firing coach Luke Richardson, that’s another winnable game. If they want to change the perception, not only must they bank four points against inferior competition. But they have to start beating quality opponents who are in playoff position within the Eastern Conference. The only win they have against a playoff team in the East came against the Maple Leafs back on Oct. 19.

After they face Seattle and Chicago, the schedule gets tougher. Even the Sabres present a challenge. They whipped the Rangers once on Nov. 7. Following Buffalo, they have the Kings and Blues in a back-to-back next weekend. After visiting the underwhelming Predators, they finish the calendar year with the Stars, Hurricanes, Devils, Lightning, and Panthers. Those five games should be a good indicator to see where this team is.

Anyone celebrating Drury’s move should check themselves. Is the current roster good enough to seriously compete? There could be more moves coming. Judging from the reaction of former teammates, they loved Trouba. Unfortunately, it became an untenable situation. He had one telling quote in his interview with reporters yesterday when he spoke about how uncomfortable the situation became.

The part that stood out is how tough the situation became playing in New York City. I said it a bunch of times on this blog. The minute Drury leaked that they were actively trying to trade Trouba during the off-season, he became a lame duck captain. Choosing his family over his career is commendable. It’s understandable why he didn’t want to move. At the end of the day, the business side of sports can be ugly. Drury chose that path. He was ruthless. It was his mess to clean up.

Even though it ended badly, Trouba was still able to appreciate the time he spent playing for the Rangers. That included two trips to the Eastern Conference Final, being named captain, and a Presidents’ Trophy. Say whatever you want about the contract former general manager Jeff Gorton gave him. The Rangers were successful following the trade that sent Neal Pionk and a 2019 first round pick (Ville Heinola) to Winnipeg. They became one of the league’s best teams.

Trouba always laid his body on the line. He was a warrior. Ironically, that’s the nickname of former teammate Ryan Lindgren. When it came to delivering jarring hits that were similar to former Devil Scott Stevens, number 8 was always ready and willing. Without his big hit on Sidney Crosby, the Rangers don’t get out of the first round in 2022. At the time, they trailed the Pens 3-1 in the series. Even though Crosby returned, the Rangers completed the comeback thanks to Artemi Panarin’s overtime winner. They advanced all the way to the Conference Finals. Despite taking the first two games against the Lightning, they lost four in a row to fall to the two-time defending champs.

When you look at the current blue line, there’s not much in terms of physicality. After Lindgren, Braden Schneider will occasionally line guys up. In terms of the nuts and bolts, that’s what Trouba provided. He always blocked shots. By now, it’s no secret that he played on a bad ankle last postseason. He never made any excuses. Unfortunately, his defensive play suffered. Some of the blame is on coach Peter Laviolette for how he used him. At no point should Trouba have been paired with K’Andre Miller. Schneider and Miller were more prominently featured during that run to the Final Four. But Laviolette still saw fit to put Miller and Trouba back together without any success.

In a classic quote, Trouba deadpanned, “It’s a rite of passage to get fired by MSG.”

Just from watching him speak, you could sense the relief. At the end of the day, it had to be done. It’ll be better for Trouba, who gets a fresh start with a young rebuilding team in Anaheim. The Ducks currently are 10-12-3 and sit outside the wildcard. They aren’t expected to make the playoffs. By adding a proven veteran who’s well respected, it can only help. They now have both Trouba and Radko Gudas patrolling the blue line. That’ll make a few players think about crossing the blue line with the puck. Keep your head up.

Trouba’s play has declined. Whether he can improve on it remains to be seen. He isn’t a fast skater and gets beaten more by opponents with speed. The scenery change should provide a boost. Like he said, he can get back to playing hockey.

Of course, he’s taken a beating from some misguided fans on social media. They don’t understand what it’s like being a player because they’ve never been in the locker room. Vincent Trocheck understood the pressure Trouba was under. He spoke about the reaction to the trade.

Throughout the team’s struggles, Trocheck’s been pretty vocal. He’s probably been the most accountable player. His game had also suffered. But he’s started to pick it up. With a goal and two assists on Friday night, he has five points in the last four games. The big line featuring Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere combined for three goals and five assists in only the Rangers’ second victory over the last seven games.

In order for them to turn it around, they’ll need more from Mika Zibanejad. I didn’t see yesterday’s game. But he set up the Reilly Smith game-winner. All indications is that he played better against Crosby, winning the matchup. It’s imperative for Zibanejad to produce consistently. He’s still the best player on that line that also features Kreider.

The Trouba move wasn’t the only big news. We’ll get to Igor Shesterkin later.