New York Rangers: What a Possible Trouba Trade Could Look Like
The New York Rangers should be calling up the Winnipeg Jets any second now asking about a potential Jacob Trouba trade. What will the team have to give up to acquire the youngster?
Early today, we already established that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba would be a great fit on the New York Rangers blueline. Now we must figure out what acquiring the 22-year-old Michigan native will cost the Blueshirts.
Firstly, the Rangers have to figure out what they can afford to give up. Then they must take into account that Trouba is an RFA who will be looking to earn a healthy raise. You would imagine that Trouba would be in line to earn anywhere from $4-$5 million annually in his next deal.
First, let’s look at the Winnipeg Jets roster.
Centers
Left Wingers
Right Wingers
Defenseman
Goalies
As you can see, the Jets actually have a pretty deep group of forwards which doesn’t bode too well for the Rangers since that is where most of their depth is from. I don’t think there is a straight 1-for-1 deal that could be made between these two teams, so it’s gonna have to be multiple assets going back to Winnipeg.
Item #1
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The first thing that I see definitely going to Winnipeg would be Dylan McIlrath. The former first-round pick looks like he is beginning to turn the corner defensively and with his legs, but New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault will find any way not to put him in the lineup.
McIlrath would fit perfectly with the Jets. He is a big body who can throw a crushing hit to anybody in his path. McIlrath’s skating has also improved dramatically over the past few years. The Jets would have one of the most intimidating defenses in the league with guys like “Big Buff,” Myers and McIlrath on it.
Unfortunately, since McIlrath’s value isn’t near what it could be if Vigneault put him in the lineup consistency, the Rangers will have to give up more.
Item #2
The next thing you have to add is a draft pick. Do you give them your first round pick, despite not having made a selection in the first round since 2011? If Trouba is coming back in the deal, the answer is yes.
Trouba is a 22-year-old defenseman with so much offensive upside. Guys like that don’t grow on trees, and considering he would likely be under contract for 4 or 5 years at the least after a trade is made, it makes it all the more worth it.
With this last added piece, the Rangers would need to look at the salary cap. Trouba will look to make at least $4-5 million annually on his next contract. The Rangers currently have $1.4 million in cap space, so they would have to shed some salary.
Item #3
My initial thought was to add center Kevin Hayes to the deal, but due to the Jets’ depth at center and the Rangers’ lack of having a suitable replacement, I don’t think that that would work for either team.
And that’s where J.T. Miller comes into play.
Look, I love J.T. Miller and I think he can become a real special player in this league. He reminds me of a more offensively capable version of Ryan Callahan, who is one of my all-time favorite New York Rangers. At the end of day, though, the Rangers are so deep at the wing throughout their system that I think they can afford to trade a guy like Miller for a defenseman of Trouba’s caliber.
Sure the easy answer would be to move Rick Nash instead, but there is no way that Nash being in the deal would work with the cap for the Jets.
At the end of the day, a package of J.T. Miller, Dylan McIlrath and a 1st Round Pick would give the Jets a lot, but still possibly not enough. On the flip side, the Rangers would be giving up a lot of depth including a 1st rounder and 2 former first rounders in the deal, so I could see how the team could feel uneasy about that.
I think, though, that if that deal is on the table, the New York Rangers would be fools not to pull the trigger. It’s worth the risk.
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