Rangers’ Botching Trouba Trade Talks Led to Red Wings Decision
The New York Rangers’ botching of Jacob Trouba trade talks led to a big decisions regarding the Detroit Red Wings
Former NHL GM (for both the New York Rangers and Islanders) Neil Smith recently weighed in on the ongoing conflict between Jacob Trouba and the Rangers during an appearance on the Hockey Night NY podcast. Smith expressed his disbelief over the Rangers’ handling of the situation, particularly the public manner in which trade discussions were conducted. According to Smith, the Rangers’ lack of discretion may have jeopardized their plans for a potential trade to the Detroit Red Wings.
Smith stated, “The thing that I’m surprised about in that situation is to allow this to happen, and to allow it to happen publicly.” He revealed that once Trouba and his camp learned of the Rangers’ interest in trading him to the Red Wings, they moved quickly to block the move. It’s not clear how much of that was out of fear he might be moved to Detroit or spite that the Rangers let it leak they potentially had a trade destination for their captain.
The Rangers Should Have Kept Trade Talk About Trouba Discrete
Smith explained that the Rangers didn’t do themselves any favors by letting trade talk get out of control. He noted:
The fallout from this mishandling could have serious implications for the Rangers. Trouba, as the team captain and a key influence in the locker room, may have his relationship with the team strained by these events. Smith pointed out the potential impact on Trouba’s performance, saying, “Now you’ve got some muddy waters with maybe the most important guy on your team, the captain, the guy that has the most influence in the locker room. It’s something they are going to have to handle.”
The Rangers might have undermined their own efforts to trade Jacob Trouba by not keeping their intentions confidential, potentially leading to internal discord and affecting team dynamics. How Trouba responds or if he accepts a trade elsewhere remains to be seen.
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Patrick Kane’s Five-Point Plan to Get Red Wings Into Playoffs
Everyone has an opinion on what needs to change or improve for the Detroit Red Wings to be a playoff team following the 2024-25 NHL regular season. Even those who play for the Red Wings, as it turns out.
For instance, Patrick Kane has a five-point plan to put the Red Wings into the postseason.
“I think we all want to build on last year,” Kane said. “And I think there’s definitely expectations going into this season, so that’s always a good thing.
So, I’m excited about being a part of that and hopefully getting the chance to have a good regular season and playoff hockey again.”
Here’s what Kane thinks the Red Wings need to do in order to end their eight-year NHL postseason drought.
Red Wings Can Ramp Up Power Play
“We can be better on the power play,” Kane said. “I think we can be a top-five unit. I think that would be a good goal. We were maybe around 10 (actually ninth) last year, which is still pretty good, but I still think we can be even better.
“I think I can be better on the power play as well. You look back at numbers, I think I had two goals on the power play, so I had 18 even-strength goals out of 20 goals, which is, you feel like, pretty good, but it should be bolstered up a little bit because you should have more success on the power play. Looking forward to building off that.”
