The New York Rangers plan to announce Jacob Trouba as captain on Tuesday for the 2022-23 season. Trouba becomes the 28th captain in Rangers history. He is taking over a vacant role last held by Ryan McDonagh in 2018, four seasons ago.
BREAKING: Jacob Trouba will be named the next Captain of the New York Rangers #NYR
As per @KevinWeekes pic.twitter.com/45TOkzsSbe
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) August 9, 2022
Jacob Trouba Becomes 28th Captain in New York Rangers History
Deployment
In 2022, Jacob Trouba saw fewer 5v5 offensive zone starts than in his first two seasons with New York. Trouba’s 6.4 offensive-zone shift start percentage ranked sixth out of the seven Rangers’ rotational defencemen. His 10.17 defensive-zone shift start percentage ranked second in the rotation, just behind Ryan Lindgren. Trouba averaged the most 5v5 TOI/GP among Rangers defencemen this season, with 18:03 TOI a night.
Offence
Trouba recorded 39 points in 81 games played this season, with 50% of his assists being primary in all situations. In addition, 75% of his assists came at 5v5, with 57% of those 5v5 assists being primary. Trouba likes to shoot the puck, especially from high-danger areas. He scored 8 goals on 6.88 individual expected goals (ixG). According to All Three Zones (A3Z), Trouba produced 0.72 standard deviations (SD) of shots per 60. Moreover, he produced 1.61 standard deviations (SD) of shots off high-danger passes.
Defence
Trouba played the majority of the past two seasons with K’Andre Miller. In 2022, Trouba and his most common defensive partner allowed 2.01 GA/60, the best among Rangers pairings. Miller and Trouba’s 2.62 xGA/60 ranked second compared to other Rangers pairings. Trouba produced 0.07 SDs of carries against per 60 in the zone-entry defence category of A3Z micro-stats.
What This Means for the Future
Jacob Trouba has four years remaining on his deal, with an annual average of $8 million per season. The Rangers finally added some leadership and stability to the locker room. The club exited the rebuild after an impressive Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the 2022 season. With his physicality and effort on the ice, Trouba offers a role model for the city of New York. This wasn’t the worst pick, but the Rangers left long-time Ranger Chris Kreider empty-handed on his one.
