Jacob Trouba talks about the recent trade rumors swirling about him, the Devils make three notable front-office hires, the Kings re-sign Jordan Spence, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE ATHLETIC: New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba downplayed the trade rumors that swirled about him a month ago. His no-movement clause became a 15-team no-trade clause on July 1. Rangers management asked for his list several days early but his camp didn’t submit it until July 1, which may have interfered with general manager Chris Drury’s free-agent plans.
New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (NHL Images).
“It was fine,” said Drury. “It’s part of the business. I knew that part of my contract turned this year (to a no-trade list), and I submitted a list. That’s what I did. All the other noise was pretty much noise.”
Trouba also said he was fine with how Rangers management communicated with him during that situation. He claimed they had a great relationship with Drury going back years, expressing gratitude for the trust Drury placed in him. Trouba said he’s happy to be with the Rangers and looks forward to the upcoming season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reports out of New York last month claimed the Rangers were working on a trade to send Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings. Nothing came of it amid speculation he knew about the pending deal and put the Wings on his no-trade list. Family reasons came into play as his wife, Dr. Kelly Tyson-Trouba, has a year of residency remaining in New York.
It’ll be interesting to see how this season plays out for Trouba and the Rangers. His performance declined last season partly because of an injured foot that plagued him down the stretch and into the playoffs. There’s talk he’ll be permanently relegated to their third defense pairing, which will raise eyebrows because he carries an $8 million average annual value through 2025-26.
It’s expected the Rangers will make Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history by next summer. Meanwhile, Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller will be restricted free agents and due for significant raises.
The Rangers could have $33 million in cap space if the cap rises to $92 million for 2025-26. However, new contracts for those three will take a significant bite out of that cap room, which could resurrect the Trouba trade rumors by next June.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils announced three significant front-office hirings on Thursday.
Former Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher becomes a senior advisor to team president and GM Tom Fitzgerald. Former Devils captain Andy Greene was named a hockey operations advisor and former NHL goaltender Manny Legace is their new head amateur goaltending scout and development coach.
TSN: The Los Angeles Kings re-signed defenseman Jordan Spence to a two-year contract. Spence, 23, will earn an average annual value of $1.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Spence played his first full NHL season in 2023-24, finishing with 24 points in 71 games. He’ll be battling promising youngster Brandt Clarke for the second-pairing role on the right side of the Kings’ blueline.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Former Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov signed a two-year contract with KHL club AK-Bars Kazan.
Barabonov, 30, enjoyed top-six minutes with the Sharks from 2021 to 2023, including a career-best 47-point performance in 2022-23. However, he was given a reduced role as the club prioritized younger forwards throughout last season.
DAILY FACEOFF: Winger Denis Gurianov signed a two-year deal with KHL club CSKA Moscow.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gurianov, 27, spent seven seasons with the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers. His best season was with the Stars in 2019-20, scoring 20 goals in 64 regular-season games and nine goals and 17 points in 27 playoff games. However, he struggled to maintain that production and spent the past two seasons bouncing among those four clubs.