Jacob Trouba acknowledged that the time is now or maybe never for the central cast of Rangers that has been together since 2019-20.

“Speaking for the core, the core guys have been here for a while now, and you don’t have unlimited chances,” the captain said Friday following the first on-ice session at training camp. “That’s just the reality of sports and the reality of hockey.

“So this is our time. We have a lot to prove. I think, to a man, we have the team in here to do it, and I think we all believe that.”

Chris Kreider started his Blueshirts career with the 2012 playoffs.

Mika Zibanejad joined in 2016-17.

By the end of October of the 2019-20 season, Trouba, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil (who had made his Rangers debut on opening night of 2017-18) and Ryan Lindgren were in place.

Igor Shesterkin arrived the first week of 2020.

This core is working under its third head coach.

David Quinn was behind the bench from 2018-19 through 2020-21.

Gerard Gallant got the next two seasons.

Now, it is Peter Laviolette.

“The attitude he brings, the energy, the enthusiasm — I think there’s a little direction,” Trouba said following a spirited, up-tempo work session in which offensive zone systems and concepts were introduced. “I think that’s good for us.

“It’s up to the players, but I think early on, he’s given us all the tools that we need to be successful.”

A year ago at camp, the Rangers vowed to take the next step after they had gone to the conference finals in 2021-22.

This year, there has not been much talk at all regarding the first-round, seven-game playoff loss to the Devils in which the Blueshirts were somnambulant in Games 4, 5 and 7.

Honestly, what is there left to say?

“I think for everyone, it stung for a while over the summer, maybe more than past years,” said Trouba, who had spent a fair amount of time getting acquainted with Laviolette leading up to camp. “That one was kind of a pit in your stomach for a long time.”

While the NHL group that could very well comprise the lineup for the Oct. 12 opener in Buffalo was intact, working on systems in the morning, the minor league and junior candidates for jobs in New York and Hartford scrimmaged in the afternoon.

“For me, the best way to evaluate guys who are competing for jobs and doing their best to put their best foot forward is through a scrimmage and through competition,” said Laviolette, who added he was “all good,” after taking a puck to the side of the head during one session. “You get to see the players work inside of the game instead of just doing drills and two-on-ones and that sort of thing.”

The Rangers, lacking organizational depth on right defense, signed righty Adam Clendening to a professional tryout.

Clendening, who will turn 31 on Oct. 26, played 31 games for the Rangers in 2016-17, but has played just nine NHL games since then — five with Arizona in 2017-18 and four with Columbus in 2018-19. Clendening was reacquired at the deadline this past February in a minor league trade and played 20 regular-season contests and six playoff games for the Wolf Pack.

The Rangers line up with Fox, Trouba and Braden Schneider on the right.

Lefty Zac Jones would likely move to his off-side in case of injury. Beyond Jones, righty Ty Emberson is next on the organizational ladder on that side.