The New York Rangers might be about to make a surprising move with their current captain Jacob Trouba. In a recent piece for The Athletic, Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal discussed the possibility of the Rangers buying out their captain's contract. This would not only strip him of his captaincy but also remove him from the team's roster entirely. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/theathleticnhl/status/1802689044876611905'> </a></blockquote></div> <q> If Trouba doesn't get moved one way or another then next year is meaningless. Yes we had a great season but Mr. Liability hurts this team far beyond his capability and that's not much. </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/kujolives/status/1801650557603418364'> </a></blockquote></div> The Rangers' captain, has faced criticism from Blueshirts fans, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Many feel that Trouba, who carries a $8 million cap hit, hasn't lived up to expectations. At times, he seemed more suited to a bottom pairing role. <q> Jacob Trouba Is an $8 Million Problem for the Rangers </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/thehockeywriter/status/1802654923894788181'> </a></blockquote></div> Interestingly, a buyout of Trouba's contract could be quite manageable for the Rangers in terms of the salary cap. They would save $4 million against the cap in the first two seasons of the buyout, with a $2 million penalty in the two following seasons. <q> The #NYR� still value Jacob Trouba's on-ice toughness and off-ice leadership, but his $8M AAV is an awfully high number for a D-man who looks like he's heading for a bottom-pair role. Here's my read on the situation and where they go from here 👇 </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/vzmercogliano/status/1801046247748370558'> </a></blockquote></div> This extra $4 million in cap space would be significant for a team in win-now mode, especially with key players like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider all over 30. While the Rangers would likely prefer to trade Trouba, finding a team willing to take on his contract without requiring additional assets is challenging. Trouba's no-movement clause complicates matters further, although it will change to a modified no-trade clause this coming season, still allowing him to block trades to 15 teams.