“Can’t have a lamed up captain”: NHL analyst offers brutally honest take on Jacob Trouba trade

Jacob Trouba's trade out of the New York Rangers was up in the air for quite some time. On Tuesday's Episode 535 of the Spittin Chiclets podcast, NHL analyst Larry Brooks shared a brutally honest take on the Rangers's trade of their captain Trouba.

Brooks questioned whether the team should have stripped Trouba of his captaincy when he blocked a trade, admitting he was initially naive in thinking Trouba would stay as captain after refusing to leave.

[53:00] "Should they have stripped him of the captaincy when, when he blocked them and trading him? I don't know, I guess I was naive a little bit too, because I thought that okay, he blocked the trade." Brooks said. "He's coming in. He'll be the captain of the team that doesn't have to go into the room. But apparently, It did."

Trouba, 30, was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trouba had been with the Rangers since 2019 after they acquired him from the Winnipeg Jets.

Per Brooks, Jacob Trouba seemed detached and lacked the leadership necessary for the role. He noted that a "lamed-up captain" cannot be effective and Trouba’s decline in play reflected this.

"Apparently, he was detached," Brooks said. "He knew they wanted to get rid of him. Maybe he should have relinquished the captaincy. Maybe he should have walked in. There should have been better communication.... Everything's gone, you know, downhill from there."

"They just weren't playing well. He wasn't hitting. He was no force on the ice. I think he was detached as a leader," he added.

Brooks pointed out that Trouba’s lack of impact on the ice contributed to the team's struggles.

"You can't have a lamed-up captain. You just can't... It just does not work. And it did not work for them." Brooks said.

Jacob Trouba's $56 million Rangers contract, which has one year remaining, will now be fully assumed by the Ducks.

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Jacob Trouba's opinion on getting traded to Anaheim Ducks

Jacob Trouba was the New York Rangers's captain since the 2022-23 season and had 136 points in 364 games with the Rangers, including six assists this season. Trouba mentioned leaving the Rangers as bittersweet but is excited to join Anaheim.

"Anaheim was one of the places my wife and I were interested in," Trouba said. per NHL.com. "Just everything about it. Where the team's at, I think they have a great opportunity in the next couple years."

Trouba likes the young talent and sees growth potential. He wants to help the team improve, similar to his experience in New York.