To many people outside the New York Rangers organization August 9th, 2022 came as a bit of a surprise. Jacob Trouba was announced as the franchise’s 28th captain in its long history, after an offseason of speculation following the longest captain vacancy in franchise history.
If you scrolled through social media during the offseason, Chris Kreider was almost a lock to be thrusted into that role. He is and was the longest-tenured Ranger at the time and had cemented himself in a leadership role during the Rangers unexpected run to the conference finals in 2022.
A year later, Jacob Trouba silenced most of the doubters with an impactful first season wearing the “C” on his chest.