New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba fined $5,000 for high-sticking

The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000 for high-sticking Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic.

The infraction occurred during Saturday afternoon’s game between the Rangers and the Bruins. Several players were involved in a post-whistle scrum, and Trouba, 29, took a swing at Frederic with his stick and hit the Bruins forward in the side of the head.

Despite Trouba’s reputation as a heavy hitter, he’s managed to avoid the attention of the Department of Player Safety, as he’s been suspended just once in his career for an illegal check in 2017, and fined on only one other occasion in 2020 for a slashing infraction.

Trouba didn’t receive a penalty in the game for the infraction. He finished the game with an assist and two shots in 21:54 of ice time as the Rangers went on to win the game 7-4.

Trouba’s start to the season has been relatively par for the course for his career usuals, with a goal and seven assists for eight points in 19 games this season, which equals to about a 34-point pace over a full season. He’s become one of the better play-making defensemen since joining the Rangers in 2019, as his 33 5v5 primary assists in that span are tied for 26th among defensemen.

Trouba was a former ninth-overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL Draft, and he spent six seasons in Winnipeg before he was dealt to the Rangers, where he’s since spent the past five seasons. He’s currently in the fifth year of a seven-year contract with an $8 million cap hit, one that he signed in the 2019 offseason with the Rangers after the trade with the Jets.

The Rangers are probably happy that they didn’t lose Trouba for any time with that suspension, as they’re already without Adam Fox due to an injury. Despite Fox’s absence, the Rangers have managed to get points in 14 of the last 15 games, and were first in the league with a 15-3-1 record after their win over the Bruins.