NEW YORK — Much of Jacob Trouba’s offseason has played out in the public eye. At the start of the summer, his name circulated in trade rumors as the New York Rangers looked to clear salary-cap space entering free agency. With New York’s primary offseason business now complete and Trouba still on the team, the 30-year-old is debuting his first public art gallery, “Landing My Mark.”
Speaking the evening before his gallery’s Aug. 1 opening, Trouba said he was OK with how general manager Chris Drury and the front office handled communication during the offseason.
“Yeah, they were great the whole time,” he said. “Even going back years prior, me and Dru have always had a good relationship. We can speak to each other when we want to. He has a lot of trust in me, I think, and I’m grateful for that. We’re excited to get started this year.”
Trouba’s seven-year, $8 million average annual value contract had a full no-movement clause through the first five seasons. On July 1, though, that switched to a 15-team no-trade list. The Rangers asked for his list a few days early, but as colleague Arthur Staple reported, his camp didn’t turn it in until it was due, which perhaps interfered with Drury’s ability to explore trades.
Free agency came and went, and Trouba remained part of the roster. He downplayed the drama on Wednesday.
“It was fine,” he said. “It’s part of the business. I knew that part of my contract turned this year (to a no-trade list), and I submitted a list. That’s what I did. All the other noise was pretty much noise.
“I’m happy to be here. I’m excited to go into the season. Great opportunity ahead of us.”
Before training camp begins and Trouba and his teammates can pursue that opportunity, he’s displaying his art at Harper’s Gallery in Chelsea. The gallery will be open Aug. 1-23 and pieces of Trouba’s art will be on sale. He will also donate a painting to November’s Hockey Fights Cancer auction, which donates to the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Trouba, who lost his grandfather to cancer, has been involved in similar initiatives in the past, appearing earlier this year in a commercial for AstraZeneca — a Hockey Fights Cancer partner — encouraging regular cancer screenings.
Gallery owner Harper Levine, a Rangers fan, first learned of Trouba’s art last season, when his daughter texted him after hearing longtime Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen mention it on TV. Levine was impressed when he looked up Trouba’s art. The defenseman, who only creates his art during the offseason, bodychecks canvases while covered in paint to create some pieces, and on others uses painted sticks, skates and hockey nets as his tools.
Trouba created this piece by checking the canvas while covered in paint and adding paint via hockey sticks and rollerblade skates. (Peter Baugh / The Athletic)
“They’re highly sophisticated paintings,” Harper said. “He has a great sense of composition, and it’s really a remarkable achievement that somebody who has such a significant day job can actually do this.”
Trouba discussed both his art and his day job Wednesday, going over the creation of the gallery, how he processed the Rangers’ Eastern Conference final loss to Florida, and New York’s offseason additions.
Note: Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How long have you been planning this gallery?
(Harper) reached out kind of toward the start of the season, I said it was obviously something we’ll deal with after the season. That was kind of it. He was like, “Whenever you’re ready, let me know.” I learned a little bit more about how the art world works, with the galleries and everything. Harper’s was the spot I wanted to start.
How’d you find a way to connect this with Hockey Fights Cancer?
The AstraZeneca partnership came up pretty naturally. Obviously the checking on the ice, checking for the art, and obviously the bodycheck campaign, it just kind of all pretty seamlessly tied together. I don’t think it was ever intended to go the art direction. That was just kind of another angle that it made sense to try to raise awareness, and obviously there’s a big charitable aspect of it. We’ll continue to raise awareness around the bodychecking, early screening for cancer and the impact you can make. How much cancer affects people, my family, everybody’s family — that part is pretty important.
You had a tweet after the season where you described painting as an outlet. How does it help you with things?
It is a hobby, but it’s just a way to get away from everything. The windows are kind of blocked out (in the studio). It’s my own little place to just be free, be myself, not really think about much, be creative. Obviously I’ve always liked hockey and the physicality, and that ties into it.
This (gallery) was never the goal. This was something I enjoyed doing, and other people encouraged me to share it a little bit more. It’s no different than guys who love golfing. I enjoy going to paint. It gets your mind somewhere else and it’s challenging in a different way.
Painting is my outlet
For the next 30 days, proceeds from 24” print sales will be donated to @AthletesForHope
Prints can be purchased herehttps://t.co/UckCzqioy2
— Jacob Trouba (@JacobTrouba) June 5, 2024
Trouba said this painting symbolizes that “the center ice dot is the center of my universe.” (Peter Baugh / The Athletic)
Switching gears to hockey: How long did it take to come to terms with the Florida series?
It’s always hard. I think after every year, it’s frustrating. Everyone has their thoughts, what they’d do differently. All that stuff goes through your mind. The longer you play, I think the harder that is. As hard as the year prior was — losing to Jersey — (when) you lose in the first round, it’s different than losing when you’re close to making the Final. It takes some time and then eventually you’ve got to find it in you to turn the page and use it as motivation to work toward next year.
When were you able to flip the switch?
I don’t know if it’s fully flipped. It’ll never be fully flipped until you get to training camp. Two, three weeks, you get the juices back going of, “I want to start chasing this thing again.” That’s when you get back in the gym and you start doing all the stuff you do in the offseason to prepare. But it still stings. You still think about it. It’s not flipped, for sure.
Looking toward next year, you guys added Reilly Smith, whose brother Brendan you played with on the Rangers previously. How excited are you about that addition?
He’s a great player. Playing against him for a long time, you know how good he can be. I obviously know Brendan. Everyone has crossed paths with one of the two at some point, it feels like. I met (Reilly) at the rink last week, a week and a half ago. He’s excited to be here. We’re excited to have him.
Similarly, what do you think Sam Carrick can bring?
Another good player. He made a pretty big impact toward the end of last year. Reached out to him, welcomed him in a little bit. I heard a lot of great things about him, so he’ll be good for our team as well.
There’s the flip side of the coin, too, with players leaving. How hard was losing Barclay Goodrow?
A big part of the team, for sure. A friend. Most guys would probably say the same thing about the kind of person he is and what he meant to the team. There’s the business side of sports and hockey, and everybody understands that this is the game we play. Sometimes there’s parts that suck, and that was a part that kind of stunk for everyone. It is what it is. Obviously he’s always going to be our friend and we’ll keep in touch, but we have to move forward and get ready for training camp and get ready for the season.
(Top photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
