The Rangers have decided the time is now to speed up their rebuild.
After spending the last 16 months patiently dealing away veterans and acquiring assets, Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton moved aggressively to upgrade the Blueshirts' roster Monday when he traded for restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Neal Pionk and the 20th pick overall in Friday's NHL draft, a pick that originally belonged to Winnipeg and was acquired by the Rangers in the Kevin Hayes deal.
The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Trouba, 25, spent six seasons in Winnipeg, where he developed into a bona fide star. He played in all 82 games for the Jets in 2018-19, scoring eight goals with 42 assists for 50 points, setting career highs in games played, assists and points. He has played in 408 games, compiling 42 goals and 137 assists, for 179 points. He averaged 22:53 in ice time in 2018-19, second-most on the team.
