Rangers won't name captain after trading Trouba

New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said he won't rush to give someone else the "C" in the wake of the Jacob Trouba trade, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Laviolette added that he's open to naming another alternate captain, but not immediately.

Trouba was in his third season as the Rangers' captain. They traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for fellow defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick Friday.

The Blueshirts have traded their last three captains in midseason. Ryan McDonagh was in his fourth campaign wearing the "C" when New York shipped him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in February 2018, and Ryan Callahan was in his third season as captain when the Rangers sent him to the Lightning in March 2014.

New York's current alternates are Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad. Kreider has worn an "A" the longest of the four, having done so since 2017-18. However, general manager Chris Drury reportedly mentioned being open to trading him in a late November letter to the other 31 teams.

Zibanejad has been part of the team's leadership group since 2018-19.

The Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday after trading Trouba and signing goaltender Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92-million deal, a record for netminders.