Chris Drury addresses relationship with Jacob Trouba after dramatic offseason full of Rangers trade rumors

Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury fielded questions ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season on Tuesday, and his relationship with his captain was still one of them.

With the first on-ice session of the Blueshirts training camp set for Thursday, Jacob Trouba is a player to watch for a myriad of reasons.

The 30-year-old defenseman is coming off a tough 2023-24 campaign and an eventful offseason, during which there were rumors the Rangers were looking to trade him.

“Jacob and I talk all the time, as GM and captain should,” Drury said when asked if there were conversations with Trouba to smooth things over. “I would even include [Peter Laviolette] in those conversations. Obviously, being captain, he runs our dressing room and is head of the leadership group. We’ve had a number of different conversations over the course of the summer, on a lot of different things. He is very clear as to where he stands with me and what I think of him as a player and as a leader. I think he’s done a real good job here.

“As a captain, there’s so many moving parts that go in and out of being captain, especially in New York and especially the Rangers captain. Excited to have him back, excited for training camp. I know he had a terrific offseason, training wise.”

Trouba suffered a broken ankle and missed 11 games in March, which certainly played a role in his poor play down the stretch of last year. His 2023-24 season as a whole, however, was underwhelming.