Jacob Trouba breaks silence with Rangers trying to trade him

It didn’t take long for Jacob Trouba to return to the middle of Rangers trade rumors. 

Amid a three-game losing streak and sluggish start to the season, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury recently told all 31 other teams that a plethora of the team’s longest-tenured players are available for trade, including the 30-year-old Trouba, who is currently the team’s captain, The Post’s Mollie Walker confirmed. 

“It doesn’t really matter,” Trouba said after the Rangers’ optional practice. “I’m happy to be here. I’m focused on playing hockey. Can’t really control that, I think I learned that throughout the summer. You’ve gotta kind of block all that out and focus on playing hockey with this group here and being the best we can be.” 

Trouba, who is in his sixth season with the team, said that he and Drury have not spoken about the report. 

“I think it’s part of the business,” Trouba said. “I don’t know if it’s real or not, I don’t know. My job is to play hockey and that’s what I’m focused on.” 

Chris Kreider was another part of the Rangers’ core that was made available, though he didn’t practice on Tuesday with an upper-body injury. 

For Trouba, this marks the second time in five months it’s been revealed the Rangers are trying to get rid of him. 

The Rangers tried to trade Trouba over the offseason, but he blocked any potential moves to 15 teams on the no-trade list he possesses as part of his contract.

One factor in Trouba’s reluctance to be dealt away is that his wife, Kelly, is in the middle of her residency at a New York hospital, The Post’s Larry Brooks previously reported. 

The Rangers subsequently retained the polarizing defenseman, who has just one year worth $8 million left on his deal after this season.

But with Trouba’s salary still on the books, the Rangers were unable to acquire needed defensive improvements in free agency and are now suffering for it. 

The Rangers defense has struggled, including Trouba. They entered Tuesday giving up 33.2 shots per game — second-most in the NHL.

Goalie Igor Shesterkin has helped mask some of those defensive flaws, entering Tuesday with the fourth-most saves in the league, but they’ve become glaring during the team’s current skid. 

Across the last three games, the Rangers have given up 14 goals, but even more worryingly, 132 shots against on goal, and a staggering 44 shots against on goal per game.

Trouba himself pointed to the defense and the alarming amount of “Grade-A” chances they’re conceding as what’s most stood out. 

Shesterkin can paper over the cracks only for so long. 

Head coach Peter Laviolette said on Tuesday that he’d prefer to let the team’s veterans work out of their current rut. 

“To me, I think you have to give players the opportunity to respond,” Laviolette said. “You address situations that come up, you address things that need attention and then you gotta give them a chance to respond and a chance to work their way out of it. No team will go through the year and be happy with the 82 games that they play.” 

The Rangers originally traded a first-round pick along with Neal Pionk to the Jets to acquire Trouba ahead of the 2019-20 season. A month later, the Rangers handed Trouba his seven-year, $56 million deal. 

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Rangers named Trouba captain — the team’s first after going four-plus seasons without one. 

Laviolette said that his team hasn’t been focused on any roster uncertainty. Defenseman Braden Schneider called it “outside noise.” 

Regardless, they’ll face a Hurricanes team on Wednesday hungry for revenge. The Rangers begin a two-game road trip looking to prevent the season from quickly spiraling out of control. 

“There are things that are in our control. That’s not in our control,” Laviolette said about the trade rumors. “What’s in our control is playing a better game last night, how we respond to it today and how we’ll react tomorrow. Those are the things we can control. Those are the things we talk about.”