New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba out 2-3 weeks with lower-body injury

A tough blow for the on-ice leader of the Blueshirts.

On Friday, shortly after the NHL Trade Deadline, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury revealed captain Jacob Trouba will be out for the next 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury.

When speaking to the media, Drury also said that the team is not planning on placing the 30-year-old defenseman on injured reserve at the moment.

It is not yet known exactly when Trouba was injured or what exactly he hurt.

Since missing substantial time during the 2020-21 season, Trouba has been very healthy over the past two years. He played 81 games during the 2021-22 campaign and was in the lineup for every game last year. Trouba missed two games around the All-Star break when he was suspended for elbowing Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights.

In 60 games this season, Trouba has scored three goals and 19 assists, and is on pace to surpass the 30-point mark he reached last season.

In 739 games, the Rochester, Michigan native has notched 73 goals and 236 assists, including 12 points in 57 playoff games. Trouba is in the fifth year of a seven-year contract he signed with the Rangers in July 2019, with an AAV of $8 million.

Before Friday’s trade deadline, the Rangers acquired defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Head coach Peter Laviolette assured it was not a reactionary move after Trouba missed the last two practices.

Drury and the Rangers were very active this trade deadline season, getting Alex Wennberg, Jack Roslovic and Nic Petan, with the focus on adding depth to team that has expectations of making a run deep into the postseason.

The Rangers (40-14-4) still lead the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes.