The defenseman did not play in the third period of a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He had an assist, four shots on goal, and four blocked shots in 13:11 of ice time.
"It's a big blow, but in this shortened season, in these circumstances, every team has [injuries]," Rangers coach David Quinn said Wednesday. "It's just next man up. Unfortunately we're going to miss everything he brings from a physicality standpoint, from a compete standpoint, from what he brings to us from a leadership standpoint. He'll be missed, but the good news is it's not as serious as we originally thought and he's going to be back sooner than later"
Trouba had three assists in 14 games this season. He leads the Rangers in hits (48), is tied for first in blocked shots (33) with defenseman Adam Fox, and is second in ice time per game (21:40) behind Fox (24:56).
"It's definitely a tough loss," Fox said. "Injuries are a part of the game, but you lose one of our veteran guys on the [defense] corps, it hurts. I think it's an opportunity for guys to step up and fill that role. It's definitely a big loss for us, but we have to keep going and get some wins here."
Quinn said defenseman K'Andre Miller, who did not play against the Devils because of an upper-body injury, will return Thursday at the Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, NBCSP, MSG, NHL.TV). Defenseman Jack Johnson, who has missed eight games with a lower-body injury and practiced Wednesday, will not play.
Artemi Panarin will play after the forward missed two games with a lower-body injury. He leads the Rangers with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 12 games this season.
"We'll plug [Miller] in and everybody on that [defense] corps has got to play a little better," Quinn said. "It can't be one guy, it has to be everybody."
Trouba, who signed a seven-year contract with the Rangers on July 19, 2019, scored 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 70 games last season.
The Rangers (4-7-3) have lost four straight games (0-3-1) and are seventh in the MassMutual East Division, one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, who have played two fewer games.
"We've got to find a way," New York forward Ryan Strome said. "It's next-man-up mentality. I think we have a lot of guys hungry for the opportunity. We've got to keep marching on, find a way to win games. We had a really good practice today, upbeat. I think the guys feel good and we'll get back at it tomorrow."
