New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba: High-stick on Trent Frederic “can’t happen”

Most of the hockey world wasn’t a fan of New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba’s high-stick on Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic on Saturday, and apparently that includes Trouba.

Trouba, 29, spoke with the media on Monday ahead of their game against the Buffalo Sabres about the incident. He didn’t seem happy with what he did, but certainly accepted the light punishment of a $5,000 fine from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

“It can’t happen,” said Trouba. “Saw the video of it and it didn’t look go… Gotta control my stick better. Take the fine and move on.”

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.

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 27th 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.

On top of not losing Trouba to a suspension, the Rangers look to be getting their top defenseman in Adam Fox back soon, as he’ll be eligible to play on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings and has been participating in practice. Even with Fox out for most of November, that hasn’t stopped the Rangers from getting points in 14 of the last 15 games and having the best record in the league at 15-3-1. They’ll look to continue their hot stretch of play against the Sabres on Monday at 7 p.m. EST.