NHL Rumors: Jacob Trouba, Kappo Kakko Trades Explored by Rangers Ahead of Free Agency

The New York Rangers are "exploring options" regarding a potential trade for defenseman Jacob Trouba two years after he was named team captain, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported.

According to Kaplan, Rangers general manager Chris Drury recently met with Trouba "to discuss his future."

The Rangers have also "had conversations with other teams" about trading 2019 No. 2 pick Kaapo Kakko, Kaplan reported.

Although New York decided to keep Kakko at the 2024 trade deadline, "it sounds like both sides would welcome a change of scenery now," Kaplan wrote.

The New York Post's Larry Brooks similarly reported Monday that the Rangers are "aggressively shopping" Kakko.

Kakko will play next season on the one-year, $2.4 million deal he signed with the Rangers in June, while Trouba is under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $8 million per year.

Trouba's current no-move clause expires Monday, at which point he will submit a 15-team no trade list to the Rangers, per CapFriendly.

The veteran defenseman, who has skated more than 21 minutes per night for the Rangers for five seasons since his trade from the Winnipeg Jets in 2019, was sidelined for three weeks in March with a broken ankle.

After his return, he saw his defensive responsibilities decrease as the Rangers slotted him into a more sheltered role on the third pairing. At times his skating appeared visibly limited during the Rangers' run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Trouba still finished the season having ranked second on the team only to Will Cuylle with 191 hits as he remained a key part of the Rangers' trademark physicality. He also ranked second only to Ryan Lindgren in time spent on the 4v5 penalty kill, per Natural Stat Trick.

Kakko also had his season derailed by injury when he missed the entire month of December with a hurt knee.

The winger was never able to find scoring or linemate consistency after his return. While moving up and down the Rangers' lineup throughout the season, he was held to 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games.

Drafted in part because of his quick and accurate shot, the fact that Kakko has not yet topped 20 goals in any one of his five NHL seasons, and is not a key part of either power-play unit, has become a frustration for both the 23-year-old and the Rangers.

Given Kakko's affordable one-year deal, his age, and his projected ceiling, he could be appealing to teams looking to take a chance on a still-developing scorer. Meanwhile, if Trouba hits the trade market, he will draw interest from clubs looking to up their physicality and improve their penalty killing in 2024-25.