Winnipeg Jets: Jacob Trouba Out With Ankle Injury
By RJ Beaulieu
The Winnipeg Jets are having flashbacks of last season as injuries begin to mount once again.
Defenseman Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets is now being reported with an ankle injury that will sideline him possibly as long as six to eight weeks.
The Winnipeg Jets revolving door of injuries is still spinning like a top. Ken Weibe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that defenseman Jacob Trouba was injured in the Thursday overtime loss to San Jose adding injury to insult.
Bad Timing
6-8 weeks puts Jacob out to mid-March making him unavailable for the meat of the second half of the season. With the western conference playoff race being so close this is alarming news for the Jets. Winnipeg sits 2 points behind the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the western conference lead, just one point ahead of the Nashville Predators. A series of losses will drop the Jets down the standings fast.
Some big #NHLJets news here from @WiebeSunSports. Defenceman Jacob Trouba could be out 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury. Trouba joins Jets list of walking wounded https://t.co/cVdem6UOSV
— Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) January 29, 2018
Even Worse Timing
This is bad for Trouba himself as well since he will be an RFA at the end of this season. Jacob is sporting 3 goals and 20 points with a +6 rating through 50 games. If he does not get signed to a contract by the Jets Trouba can still go for salary arbitration. Kevin Cheveldayoff still holds the cards here, so Trouba’s agent Kurt Overhard will have limited options.
This injury will most definitely affect any decisions by a mediator and if Jacob gets low balled it could cause some friction between him and the team similar to 2 seasons ago.
Depth Hoists the Cup
The Stanley Cup playoffs are as much a battle of attrition as they are a battle of the NHL’s best. A team very rarely goes through an entire season healthy let alone an entire postseason. A teams organizational depth is tested in times like this. The Winnipeg Jets are just seeing that a little early.
Next: Steve Mason takes too much blame
So this is the time when the youth and role players have a chance to step in and take the limelight. The Jets have prospects that can step in and step up. Now its time to see what they can do.
Ben Chiarot & Tucker Poolman, your up.