Jacob Trouba is expected to make his Anaheim Ducks debut when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night in the opener of a four-game road trip.
The 30-year-old defenseman and team captain for the New York Rangers was acquired on Friday after he said the Rangers threatened to trade him or put him on waivers due to his below-average play this season and the team’s struggles.
Trouba has some familiarity with the Ducks, having played three seasons with Ryan Strome in New York, and he’s been friends since high school with Frank Vatrano, who was also his roommate for part of one season in New York.
“I know from talking to him, we are going to have a really highly motivated individual with a little bit of a weight off his shoulders that is excited to play and wanted to play in Anaheim,” Strome said. “So, I think those are all positives and things that can jumpstart our group going forward, and I think we are all excited to have him.”
Strome said Trouba will bring a number of benefits to Anaheim, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018 and currently sits at the bottom of the Pacific Division standings. Before Trouba came to New York, he spent six seasons playing for the Winnipeg Jets.
“I think anytime you bring a guy in that’s played in the Canadian market, an Original Six market and a captain (who’s) been in a lot of playoff series and really good teams, I think it helps,” Strome said. “Not only that too, I think a big body, just to lean on some guys and be hard to play against.”
Trouba also shoots right-handed, an area the Ducks were lacking on the defensive end.
Anaheim went through a recent 10-game stretch in which it posted a 6-3-1 record, and Ducks coach Greg Cronin said the difference in those games was the Ducks were skating harder and playing more physical.
He believes Trouba will bring that consistent element to the team as well.
“Jacob Trouba represents that, the physicality, the identity that you have to play with,” Cronin said. “He’s a guy that can step up on the forecheck and stop plays and kill plays in the defensive zone. He’s got a heck of a shot and having another right shot back there will help us keep pucks alive in the cycle.”
The Canadiens were trying to win three in a row for the first time this season, but lost 4-2 on Saturday to the visiting Washington Capitals.
Montreal scored the first two goals of the game and had a 2-1 lead entering the third period, then surrendered three straight goals.
Making the loss even more difficult, the Canadiens had four breakaways in the third period while the game was still tied and did not convert any of them.
“It’s a tough one to swallow right now,” Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said.
Lane Hutson had an assist against the Capitals to become just the second rookie defenseman in Canadiens history to record a point in six consecutive games.
“I guess it’s pretty cool, but it’s more about wins and losses,” Hutson said. “We’ve struggled with that, and we want to find some consistency and win some hockey games.”
–Field Level Media