New York Rangers captain and defenseman Jacob Trouba revealed to reporters on Tuesday that he suffered a broken ankle during the regular season and played the entirety of the playoffs while being hampered by it.
The 30-year-old blueliner said during locker cleanout day following New York’s six-game Eastern Conference Final loss to the Florida Panthers that he lost a “kidney bean-sized chunk” (h/t Greg Wyshynski, ESPN) from a bone that was not weight-bearing. While he was able to walk, his skating was limited.
Trouba missed 11 games from March 9-28 where the Rangers went 9-2-0 while allowing just 2.6 goals per game. Upon his return, New York won six of nine to finish the regular season before winning its first two playoff series against the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers.
The Rangers fell in six games to the Panthers in the conference final behind an offense that ultimately went cold. However, Trouba made a costly mistake in Game 6 that resulted in Florida’s opening goal of a 2-1 win that eliminated the Blueshirts.
With two more seasons left of a bloated $8 million per year contract, questions surrounding Trouba’s future with the Rangers are expected to strengthen this offseason. In 69 games, he recorded three goals and 19 assists — hardly the kind of production from a blueliner making that kind of money.
