Winnipeg Jets

There are bound to be Trouba rumours soon
June 20, 2017, 12:48 PM ET [45 Comments]
Peter Tessier
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The Jets and Jacob Trouba could potentially sign a long term deal soon if the player has decided he is prepared to stay in Winnipeg and cash in on his talent and growth. That being said, if he isn't signing then there is a good chance his name will pop up in trade rumours as there are bound to be suitors.

One idea came up via the Nations Network today and it was presented as an offer from the Leafs, this is what it was:

From Toronto:

JVR, 2017 or 18 1st round pick, Travis Dermott and Carl Gundstrom

From Winnipeg:

Trouba and Mark Stuart

This is the classic case of quality for hope and quantity. While it's not a bad offer in terms of what's there does it help the Jets? That's an easy answer: no.

The problem for any team willing to entertain making an offer for Trouba is this, you are not going to give the Jets a top six forward when they have the group they do with Petan, Connor, and Roslovic ready to slide in at any moment. That's why taking JVR makes no sense for Winnipeg.

Trouba is a top pairing defenseman in this league, further more he's a right hand shot too, something in short supply. If Shea Webber is worth PK Subban what's the equivalent for Trouba?



And then there is this:




The bigger picture here is that if a team wants Trouba they are going to have to make a huge offer for him. In fact the most obvious way to acquire him could likely be a three team deal. This method could then open up potential suitors, at least in theory.

The questions then becomes who would be a suitor for Trouba and the one name that keeps coming up is Toronto along with Montreal. However if the list is expanded could a team like the Rangers make a play or even some team out west?

In an ideal world it would appear Trouba would like the Red Wings due to proximity to home but probably moving back to the US is enough. Seeing as Trouba spends time in Florida in the offseason would either of those teams in the sunshine state be interested?

Herein lies another challenge, who can accommodate Trouba in their roster? That should be a simply answer, as in everyone, but the salary cap and contracts have a funny way of making a mess of these scenarios.

The one outlier that could be of interest is Arizona simply because the team is in constant fluctuation of building. They are never consistent and somewhat unpredictable. They have a UFA in Oliver Ekman-Larsson coming in two years and they would gain some age gap by trading Trouba. The basis for this 'idea' is simply this: would OEL want to sign on to a franchise that is always chasing and never competing versus one on the rise such as Winnipeg? To the contrary would Trouba want to extend there for the same reasons? Would OEL want to extend in Winnipeg?

Like all things, there is some spitballing here to see 'if' these deals could work based on needs and situation. However these two may be a good match simply because of age and skill level and handedness. It's still a guessing game though and that's all this exercise is.

To the original point though, Trouba will cost a team plenty, and well he should, he's that good. The Jets control him for 2 more years and then it's open game. The best thing either party could do is cash-in on the next deal while value is at it's highest and then let the chips fall where they may. Something will work out but it doesn't mean the cash will always be there.