Trouba named Rangers captain, first since McDonagh in 2018

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Jacob Trouba was named captain of the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

He is the 28th player to be named captain in Rangers history. Mark Messier held the position twice, from 1991-97 and again from 2000-04.

The 28-year-old defenseman is the Rangers’ first captain in more than four years, since defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 26, 2018.

“Since he joined the Rangers, Jacob has consistently displayed all of the qualities we want in a leader on and off the ice,” general manager Chris Drury said. “As we look to take the next step as an organization, he is a role model for all of our players to follow and the perfect choice to be our captain.”

Trouba was an alternate captain last season along with forwards Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Strome.

“You’ve been doing the job for a while now so its nice to see you get the letter swen on your jersey,” Kreider said in a video released by the Rangers. “You’ve been a leader on the ice, you’ve been a leader off the ice and a leader in the community. Can’t be happier for you.”

Trouba, who is entering his fourth season with the Rangers, was acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on June 17, 2019. He had 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) in 81 regular-season games last season, when he set NHL career highs in goals and plus/minus (plus-25), then had five points (one goal, four assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Under first-year coach Gerard Gallant, Trouba helped New York reach the Eastern Conference Final, when it lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.

“Right away when I got here, it was clear that Jacob had a certain presence in the locker room and among his teammates that exemplify what you need out of a captain,” Gallant said. “With where our team is at and where we want to be, he is the right person to lead us there.”

Selected by Winnipeg in the first round (No. 9) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Trouba has 257 points (62 goals, 195 assists) in 597 regular-season games and 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 50 playoff games.

There are seven NHL teams without a captain: the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken.