Elliotte Friedman Shares Shocking Update on Jacob Trouba and the New York Rangers: Could a Trade be Imminent?

Following weeks of debates, surprising reports emerged this morning from New York. Indeed, many insiders revealed that Jacob Trouba wasn't at today's morning skate, and won't take part in tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Speculation started to flow, saying that Jacob Trouba could either be traded or placed on waivers today:

In a new development, Elliotte Friedman shed light on a few details about the situation.

He mentioned that the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested in acquiring him, but it won't be that easy, as Trouba could block that trade with his no-trade clause. If that happens, the Rangers would be ready to put him on waivers.

Friedman added that something like this already happened in the past. Back in 2005, forward Todd Marchant refused to waive his no-trade clause in the Sergei Fedorov deal between the Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

To bypass that formality, the Blue Jackets simply waived him, and the Ducks claimed him.

In Friedman's words:

Of course, that doesn't mean that this is what will happen. Trouba is a respected member of the Rangers, and doing something like that could generate major backlash from the Rangers fanbase.

Trouba has been struggling this season, scoring only six assists in 24 games with the Rangers. Also, his physical contributions have been much lower than what his team is used to, with only 39 hits.

While he's on his way to one of the worst seasons of his career, both offensively and physically, his leadership was never questioned, and would be an interesting asset for a developing team.

The Blue Jackets might be seventh in the Metropolitan Division but are only two points away from tying the New York Rangers at the fourth rank. Adding a player like Trouba could help their young players develop as the team looks to compete for a playoff spot until the end of the race.

We can't wait to see how it all unfolds.