Getty The Maple Leafs could trade for New York Rangers' Jacob Trouba
The New York Rangers asked Jacob Trouba for his 15-team no-trade list ahead of free agency and the Toronto Maple Leafs have already been linked to the blueliner.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported the Rangers’ request on June 27 following fellow insider Chris Johnston’s publication of his latest “Trade Big Board” over the same outlet on June 26.
“With his no-movement clause set to convert to a 15-team no-trade clause on July 1 and the Rangers believed to be looking at moving a defenseman, Trouba could be the odd man out,” Johnston wrote about Trouba’s availability, ranking him as the No. 14 best-available-for-trade player.
Then, on June 27, Staple and Peter Baugh listed the Maple Leafs as one of the top trade fits for Trouba in a potential deal with the Rangers.
“Big, right-shot defensemen like Trouba always entice teams. The Maple Leafs are going to be tight against the salary cap, but perhaps they’d be interested, especially if they can’t land Chris Tanev. They have a need on the right side,” they wrote.
There is the question, of course, of whether or not Trouba would accept and unlock a trade to Toronto by not including the Leasf in his no-trade list. It’s believed Trouba could be reticent to move north of the border to play for a Canadian franchise.
“There’s also the question of whether Trouba would want to go to a Canadian market. All seven north-of-the-border clubs could be on his no-trade list. We’re pretty sure Winnipeg’s on there,” Staple and Baugh wrote.
Why Is Jacob Trouba Available for Trade?
The Rangers’ captain, Trouba experienced his fair share of ups and downs throughout the 2023-24 season. The blueliner is coming off scoring 3 goals and 19 assists for 22 points in 69 regular-season games. He added 1 goal and 6 assists in 16 postseason contests.
The Florida Panthers eliminated the Rangers in the conference finals, beating them 4-2 before winning the Stanley Cup.
Trouba has two years left on his seven-year, $56 million contract. From July 1, Trouba’s no-move clause turns into a 15-team no-trade list. With it, Trouba will have the power to veto any trade to a team included in that list.
By trading Trouba, the Rangers would remove his large $8 million salary from their 2024-25 books. The Rangers traded for Trouba in June 2019 completing a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. New York named him captain in August 2022.
Johnston mentioned Trouba’s strong game and physical defensive presence when describing him. He deemed it a possible surplus asset for the Rangers going forward, thus his inclusion.
“The right-shot defender plays a strong, physical game and is known for laying out opponents with punishing bodychecks. He’s coming off a difficult playoff but would represent an upgrade for most teams,” Johnston wrote.
“In New York, where they also have Adam Fox and Braden Schneider on the right side, Trouba may be a luxury at his cap hit.”
Maple Leafs Looking to Improve Defense Corps
The Leafs-Trouba fit makes sense considering the latest reports about the type of player being chased by Toronto.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reporting on June 19, the Leafs are “looking to add some size to their blueline this off-season.”
Pagnotta mentioned two specific players in Vancouver Canucks‘ Nikita Zadorov and St. Louis Blues‘ Colton Parayko. The former is expected to enter free agency on July 1 and the latter is only available via trade (if at all).
PuckPedia projects the Maple Leafs to enter the offseason with $19.7 million in cap space. Toronto, however, only has four defensemen under contract. Among the pending free agents, only Timothy Liljegren will enter restricted free agency with six more becoming unrestricted FA.