Jacob Trouba isn't the biggest fan of how the end of his New York Rangers tenure played out.
"I don't like that it was made public necessarily or how everything unfolded so publicly, but I guess that's part of New York and what happens," he said after Friday's trade to the Anaheim Ducks, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "It made it difficult to play with that hanging over everything.
"And today, the result is the result. I guess I'm happy with moving forward but maybe not overly thrilled with how it went down. In my opinion, things could have been handled better. I'm not blaming anybody or anything. How it happened, I felt it was kind of an unfortunate ending to a lot of good times in New York."
New York announced that Trouba would sit for Friday's clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins for roster management purposes. There were rumors that he'd be placed on waivers at 2 p.m. ET, though that never transpired and he was traded soon after.
Trouba confirmed the club discussed putting him on waivers as a "threat" to pressure him into facilitating a trade, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens.
"(Thursday) morning was, 'Accept this trade or we're scratching you,'" Trouba added. "I said, 'OK.' Then it was, 'Accept this trade or you're going on waivers,' and I said, 'OK.' And then it got to a point where I felt comfortable with Anaheim and that (it) was a place I wanted to go."
The physical defenseman has been the subject of trade rumors since June, when New York reportedly asked Trouba for the 15 teams on his no-trade list. Trouba was apparently shocked to have been made available, though he ultimately stayed put.
"I'll be honest, I was put in a position this summer to make a decision between my career and my family," he said Friday. "I chose my family. I would choose my family 100 times over again. I don't feel bad about that."
The Rangers made waves in November when general manager Chris Drury reportedly indicated he was open for a trade and specifically mentioned Trouba and Chris Kreider.
Despite the rough breakup, Trouba made it clear he "loved" his time with the Rangers. Highlights included being named captain ahead of the 2022-23 season, two trips to the conference finals, and winning the Presidents' Trophy last campaign.
"I feel like I've learned and grown so much as a person. ... There will be a piece of my heart definitely in New York," he said, according to the New York Post's Mollie Walker. "Some place I'll definitely come back to a lot. ... I'm very grateful for all those memories. Time to turn the page and start something new."
Trouba isn't the only former Ranger to exit controversially in recent months. New York put Barclay Goodrow on waivers in June, allowing him to be picked up by the San Jose Sharks, who were reportedly on his 15-team no-trade list.
