Is there a New York Rangers captain curse?

Since the 1991-1992 season, the New York Rangers have had seven players wear the "C" on their jerseys. However, of those seven captains, none had a happy ending. Let's take a look at the most recent captains in Rangers history and how their tenure came to an end.

1991-1997 Mark Messier (Part I)

Frank Becerra Jr.

General manager Neil Smith knew he needed to make a significant acquisition in October of 1991, with the Rangers curse from 1940 reaching over 50 seasons—one for a player with leadership and playoff experience.

The answer was in Edmonton. On Oct. 3, 1991, Smith sent three players and future considerations to the Oilers for Mark Messier. Messier had been the captain of the Oilers for the three previous seasons.

Messier immediately impacted that New York team, totaling 107 points and scoring 35 goals. He earned himself his second career Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league's most valuable player. The Rangers also finished with 105 points and sat at the top of the Patrick Divison but were eliminated in the playoffs by the Penguins.

Messier would go on to play over 400 games in his first six seasons with the Rangers, totaling 518 points with 183 goals. Of course, he was also the man responsible for breaking the Rangers 54-year Stanley Cup drought with a win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Despite those numbers, age and injury were catching up with Messier, who turned 37 years old before the start of the 1997 season. With a desire to obtain some younger players, Smith offered Messier a one-year deal worth $4 million. Messier, insulted by the offer, instead signed with the Canucks on a three-year deal worth $18 million.

1997-2000 Brian Leetch

Associated Press

With Messier no longer in New York, the Rangers turned to defenseman Brian Leetch as the next captain. Leetch, who the Rangers took with the ninth overall pick in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, had a resume with many awards on it when he took the reigns.

Leetch had won the Art Ross and Norris Trophy in his rookie season in 1988 and had won his second Norris Trophy in the 1993-1994 season. Most notably, Leetch was the first American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the team's MVP throughout the playoffs. Leetch tallied 34 points in 23 games.

In 2004, Glen Sather was the active general manager for the Rangers. Although Leetch was not wearing the "C" at the time, his Rangers career came to an unfortunate end.

Despite expressing to Sather he wished not to be traded, Sather sent Leetch to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal happened on March 3, Leetch's 34th birthday.

2000-2004 Mark Messier (Part II)

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

After the Rangers missed the playoffs in the 1999-2000 season, Sather looked at his roster and tried to fill a missing piece.

With Smith gone and Sather leading the way, he looked at the list of free agents available. One of the names was a player he coached to five Stanley Cup Championships with the Oilers: Messier.

On July 13, 2000, the Rangers signed Messier to a two-year contract. With that, Leetch volunteered to give up the letter on his jersey and return it to Messier.

Messier would eventually be traded by the Rangers to the San Jose Sharks following the 2003 season for a 2004 fourth-round pick used to select a future Rangers captain.

Messier called it a career after the 2003-2004 season. He finished with 691 points and 250 goals in 10 seasons with the Rangers, and his uniform number 11 is retired by the franchise.

2006-2008 Jaromir Jagr

Lou Capozzola, USA TODAY Sports

After failing to make the deep playoff push they intended, the Washington Capitals sent Jaromir Jagr to the Rangers in January 2004 in exchange for Anson Carter.

In his first full season with New York, Jagr set the current franchise record for most goals (54) and points (123) in a single season and finished second in the vote for the Hart Memorial Trophy. Jagr was named the captain of the Rangers just before the start of the 2006 season.

Following the 2007-2008 season, Jagr left the NHL after he did not get the multi-year deal he was looking for, with Sather only willing to give him a one-year contract. Jagr signed an agreement for $35 million with Omsk-Avangard, a team in Russia, and explained the closeness to his family was a reason behind his departure.

2008-2011 Chris Drury

Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY Sports

The 2007-2008 season was the last with the Rangers for Jaromir Jagr, but it was the first for their new free agent signing, Chris Drury. Drury scored 25 goals and registered 33 assists, totaling 58 points in his first season with the Blueshirts.

Drury played in all 82 games in his first season with New York. However, only three seasons later, Drury played only 24 games, totaling 5 points.

The reason for this was because of a constant knee injury that he dealt with. With the injury and age catching up with him (34), Sather and the Rangers announced that they were buying Drury out of the final year of his contract.

After the buyout, Drury didn't play in the NHL again and officially announced his retirement in 2011. Today, Drury is the sitting president and general manager of the Rangers.

2011-2014 Ryan Callahan

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

With the 127th pick in the 2004 NHL draft, the pick the Rangers got for Messier, the Rangers selected Ryan Callahan, a New York native from Rochester.

Callahan, a Ranger with three seasons under his belt, was named the captain before the start of the 2011-2012 season.

With the "C" on his chest, Callahan stepped it up from his previous season's performance and totaled a career-high in goals (29) and points (54). That season, with a new Stanley Cup drought reaching 17 seasons, Callahan brought the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1994 in a rematch with the New Jersey Devils.

The Rangers lost in six games on Adam Henrique's OT winner, although Callahan scored in the second period to tie it.

Then came the trade deadline in 2014. With the Rangers on pace for the playoffs, Sather decided to add to his already well-performing team. At the deadline, Sather sent Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Lightning legend Martin St. Louis.

The Rangers would eliminate the Montreal Canadiens and face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final, 20 years after winning it over the Canucks. However, these Rangers would have a different fate. Los Angeles won in five games.

2014-2018 Ryan McDonagh

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

In 2014, the New York Rangers announced their next captain was defenseman Ryan McDonagh. That made four consecutive seasons with a "Ryan" captain.

McDonagh was first brought to New York in 2009 in a trade with Montreal, who drafted him, in exchange for Scott Gomez

McDonagh and the Rangers claimed the President's Trophy in his first season as the captain. Still, their focus was to get back to the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately for them, they fell a little short of their goal.

After getting through the Penguins and Capitals in the first two rounds, they prepared to face their former captain and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning completed the upset in seven games.

With only 26 points through 49 games in the 2017-2018 season, Jeff Gorton, who took over general manager duties in July 2015, sent the second straight Rangers captain to the same destination: Tampa Bay.

2022-2024 Jacob Trouba

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

If you thought the Rangers' "Captain Ryan" streak was over, you're wrong. If you read the fine print, his full name is Jacob Ryan Trouba.

When Trouba was named the captain in 2022, many fans were upset that it had gone to him over seasoned veteran Chris Kreider, who first debuted for the Rangers in 2013.

Following the 2018-2019 season, Gorton made a trade with the Winnipeg Jets that brought Trouba to New York. After missing the playoffs for four years, Trouba brought the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals and were eliminated again by the Lightning.

Over the next two seasons, the Rangers lost in the playoffs to the Devils and Florida Panthers. Many fans criticized Trouba for his play in the playoffs, including taking penalties at crucial times that led to power-play goals for the opposition.

Perhaps Drury and his team were also upset with Trouba's performance and his $8 million cap hit. Drury attempted to trade Trouba, but the captain exercised his no-trade clause. It would soon become a 15-team no-trade clause.

This brings us to today, where Jacob Trouba is now an Anaheim Duck. After 364 games played over six seasons, the Rangers sent Trouba to the Ducks in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen.

It raises a few questions: When will the Rangers name their next captain? Who will it be? Only time will tell.

Daniel Studer is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dbs5866@psu.edu.