Jacob Trouba tried to plead his case.
In his NHL Department of Player Safety hearing, Trouba claimed that he didn’t know where Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev was during the Rangers’ Jan. 26 loss, since the Blueshirts’ defenseman had turned toward the corner and wasn’t aware of anyone hovering behind him.
“They thought differently, I guess,” Trouba said.
He’ll return to the Rangers’ lineup Wednesday against the Lightning following a two-game suspension for elbowing, allowing the Blueshirts to have their defensive pairings intact again.
And he’s avoided trying to decipher why he was suspended or comparing his incident to others around the league.
“That’s all kind of out of my control,” Trouba said. “I say my peace in the hearing and that’s all I can really do. So yeah, don’t really dwell on it or anything. Just gonna keep playing hockey.”
For Trouba, that revolves around a physical style. It’s led to crushing hits and two fines in the past.
But this instance — when he knocked Dorofeyev to the ice in the moments following a faceoff — marked Trouba’s first suspension since February 2017, when a hit to Mark Stone’s head cost him two games.
The Rangers mostly relied on Zac Jones to fill Trouba’s spot in the lineup, while Connor Mackey also skated when Ryan Lindgren missed their Jan. 27 win due to an upper-body injury.
Both Jones and Mackey sparked that win against the Senators before the All-Star break. Jones played a “heck of a game” Monday, too, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said postgame.
But having Trouba back from his extended All-Star break will provide a sense of normalcy for the Rangers.
“He plays a hard brand of hockey, and he’s the captain of this team,” Laviolette said. “When you’re missing a piece like that, it’s tough. … I think our guys did a good job of covering for him, but it’s nice to have him back.”
Center Nick Bonino, originally waived Jan. 25, was placed on unconditional waivers after deciding over the All-Star break that he didn’t want to report to AHL Hartford, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker and Larry Brooks.
He’ll be released after clearing waivers.
The Athletic reported that there “have been inquiries” from other NHL teams that Bonino, 35, could consider.
Laviolette danced around a question about whether his goaltending plan could change with Jonathan Quick guiding the Rangers to another win Monday — improving his record to 11-4-2 alongside a .918 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average.
Igor Shesterkin entered the All-Star break navigating one of the worst stretches of his career, with his save percentage for 10 appearances since Jan. 2 sitting at .863.
MSG Network analyst and former Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette said Monday on the postgame show that Quick, signed to a one-year deal in the offseason to be the 38-year-old backup, should remain the Blueshirts’ starter “until proven otherwise.”
Mackey was assigned to AHL Hartford on Monday.