WINNIPEG, Manitoba — It was just about what Jacob Trouba expected for a reception. And he was happy he walked out with a win.
The Rangers defenseman returned to the city he called home for six seasons and was booed often during his new team’s 4-1 win over the Jets on Tuesday night.
“I was looking forward to it,” Trouba said after he played a team-high 22:24 and had four shots on goal. “It’s definitely fun. We wanted to win the game, and it was nice that we won the game. But I was going to go remember it either way.”
Trouba was a restricted free agent this summer and had made it clear he didn’t want to re-sign in Winnipeg. So the Rangers traded a first-round pick — one they had gotten from the Jets in the Kevin Hayes deal — along with defenseman Neal Pionk for the rights to sign Trouba to what ended up being a seven-year, $56 million deal.
There was a short video tribute to Trouba late in the first period, which was followed soon thereafter by chants of “Pionk’s better!” It didn’t seem like Trouba noticed, as he played one of his most assertive games of the season.
“I thought Trouba had a great night,” coach David Quinn said. “I’m really happy for him. I’m proud of him, the way he played tonight. This isn’t an easy situation to come into, and he played a really good game.”
Also returning to Winnipeg was winger Brendan Lemieux, who played parts of five seasons in the organization before being traded to the Rangers almost exactly a year ago as part of the Hayes deal. He got a bigger opportunity in New York, and signed a one-year, $925,000 deal this summer. He is a restricted free agent again after this season.
“I was over the moon when I got traded and I’m happy to be [with the Rangers],” said Lemieux, who got 9:18 of ice time in this one while on fourth-line duty with Greg McKegg and Brett Howden.
Recent call-up Phillip Di Giuseppe remained in the lineup for the fifth straight game, playing 10:39 on the third-line wing with Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. Brendan Smith was a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game.
“I know [Smith] hasn’t been playing a lot,” Quinn said, “and that probably is more because we like what the other guys are doing.”