The New York Rangers’ trade of Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks could have included a major name in star defenseman Cam Fowler going the other way.
According to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, however, Rangers general manager Chris Drury ultimately declined Fowler’s inclusion in the deal, prioritizing salary cap flexibility instead.
I heard that Anaheim wanted Fowler in this deal. I have no doubt Fowler wanted to be in this deal,” Friedman said on Monday’s episode of the”32 Thoughts” podcast. At the end of the day, they couldn’t get it done.
I think one of the reasons is New York wanted the flexibility for both this year and next. Fowler, who carries a $6.5 million cap hit through the 2025–26 season as part of a $52 million contract extension signed in July 2017, is one of a few Ducks veterans believed to be available for trade.
The 33-year-old defenseman would have been a valuable addition to the contending Rangers and a one-for-one replacement for Trouba in the lineup.
That said, Drury opted for a more financially prudent package, acquiring Urho Vaakanainen ($1.1 million cap hit) and a 2025 fourth-round pick instead.
This decision allowed the Rangers to clear Trouba’s $8 million cap hit, which paved the way for Igor Shesterkin’s record-setting $92 million contract extension as a first step in the roster retooling kickstarted by Drury on Friday.
The move, however, has sparked a conversation about the team’s ruthlessness in dealing with Trouba, the team captain no less. Trouba said the Rangers presented him with the threat of getting waived if he didn’t accept a trade somewhere, and Friedman confirmed the move, noting it’s legal but forceful.
It’s not like the Rangers broke any laws. Friedman said, What they did was perfectly legal. It was forceful, and we can all judge. They applied the pressure to him. He did not have a no-move clause.
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