Will Jacob Trouba Stick Around With The Winnipeg Jets?
By Trin Potratz
The Winnipeg Jets and Jacob Trouba have been able to mend the fences from their contract dispute two seasons ago, and things seem to be going well. With that being said, does Jacob Trouba have a future with the Winnipeg Jets?
THE HISTORY OF TROUBA IN WINNIPEG
Jacob Trouba was selected 9th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 7th defenseman selected after Ryan Murray (2nd), Griffin Reinhart (4th), Morgan Rielly (5th), Hampus Lindholm (6th), Mathew Dumba (7th) and Derrick Pouliot (8th).
Trouba would play one season at the University of Michigan, in which he led the American blueline to gold at the 2013 World Junior Championship. The Jets saw enough from the youngster to give him a chance to turn pro the following season.
Trouba made the Jets out of training camp and went on to score 10 goals and 19 assists in only 65 games in his rookie year. Trouba had a slight step back in his sophomore season, dropping to seven goals and 22 points in the same 65 games.
Trouba finally remained healthy in the third and final year of his entry-level contract, but his points and goals dropped for the third year in a year as well.
With a new contract to be negotiated, things took a turn for the worse.
THE TRADE REQUEST
Unable to come to terms on a new contract throughout the summer, Jacob Trouba issued a trade request through his agent Kurt Overhardt. Overhardt, who had a reputation for overcharging teams earning the nickname “Kurt Overcharge.”
The reasoning for the trade request was stated that Trouba didn’t believe he would be able to get sufficient ice time on the right side, as the Jets already boasted two right-handed defensemen in Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers.
Rumours began to swirl, and many didn’t believe Trouba’s reason for the trade request. It was widely believed that Trouba, a Michigan native, would prefer to play for an American hockey team close to his hometown, such as the Detroit Red Wings.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff addressed the situation stating that he believes Trouba to be a big part of the team’s future.
THE HOLDOUT
Jacob Trouba was without a contract and had stated he would not join the Jets for training camp without a contract.
Trouba was still able to get on the ice as he suited up on the blueline for Team North America’s U23 team at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Trouba ended up falling out of favour and was the healthy scratch defenseman. He was sat in favour of Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Colton Parayko, Morgan Rielly, and Shayne Gostibehere.
News grew quiet on the contract front and Trouba and his agent finally caved. They signed a two-year contract worth $6 million and Trouba joined his teammates in November.
RECENT EVENTS
Trouba seemed like he had something to prove after signing the contract, and he went on to become a bonafide top-four defender. Trouba topped his previous career high of 29 points from his rookie year with 33 in only 60 games.
Trouba played a remarkable average of 24:57 in 2016-17, and seemed to be happy with his ice time. He subsequently rescinded his trade request
This past season, Trouba has been put on the top-pairing with sophomore Josh Morrissey, but he is playing less than Dustin Byfuglien.
Trouba’s offence has been suspect so far this season, only being credited for six apples and not a single goal. Considering he has fired 41 shots on net, expect them to start going on.
LOOKING AHEAD AND COMPARING
It seems like everything is okay between the Jets and Trouba after the contract holdout, but past history shows us that players who hold out, ultimately get moved.
There are a lot of similarities between Jacob Trouba and Jonathan Drouin. Both players publicly made their frustrations known. Both players also requested trades. And yes, both players also eventually signed a deal and played very well for the teams that drafted them.
In case you haven’t heard, Jonathan Drouin was ultimately moved to the Montreal Canadiens. It was reported that the situation made the Lightning organization sour on the player and they were able to move him for an asset.
Kyle Turris held out and was dealt to the Senators from the Coyotes as well.
WHAT WOULD THE JETS BE AFTER?
Winnipeg has an abundance of scoring up front and it looks like to growth of Connor Hellebuyck has solidified the goaltending. That makes the “D” group the biggest area of need.
Trouba is a tremendous young defender and the Jets would likely hope to bring another good defender back. It was reported that that was the Jets exact ask when Trouba initially requested a trade.
Considering the Jets would want a left-shooting defender in return for Trouba, a lot of players would make sense.
You tell me, if the Jets have soured on Trouba due to his past history, which defender would you like to see come back?