In a recent interview with The Athletic, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba gives his thoughts on the recent acquisitions of Riley Smith and Sam Carrick.
Trouba seems excited with general manager Chris Drury bringing in the veteran forward.
"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," Trouba said to The Athletic.
Smith has played for five NHL organisations prior to his signing with the Rangers and he saw his career begin with the Dallas Stars back in 2011. He has won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and has been a solid point contributor his entire career.
Last season was a lower productive year as he played 76 games with the woeful Pittsburgh Penguins where he scored thirteen goals, 27 assists for 40 points he was a + 3 with 18 penalty minutes.
It seemed Sam Carrick is getting the same treatment as Smith when it comes to how the captain feels.
"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," Trouba said.
Carrick split his time between the Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers but he went on to go to the Stanley Cup finals only to lose to the Florida Panthers. https://x.com/RonoAnalyst/status/1807761705306411179
Even though Trouba has gone through the ringer this offseason as the trade winds continued to blow through the organization and a potential move that did not transpire with the Detroit Red Wings, Trouba is ready for the next season to be a New York Ranger.