Winnipeg Jets’ 2016 Top 25 Under 25: #2 Jacob Trouba

Overview:

Who knows if our #2 pick is even going to be on the team this year, or long term, but it'd sure be nice for our defense's sake. Stud defenseman Jacob Trouba remains unsigned and has a trade request on the table. It's unknown if the Jets are planning to honor that request, or try to fix the problem that led to the request in the first place. All I can say on that is, if the situation between Tampa Bay and Johnathan Drouin can be rectified, anything is possible,

Scoring Statistics:

Advanced Statistics:

This is where Trouba's bread and butter lies. His regular statistics don't paint an amazing picture, but once you dig a little deeper, he looks better and better:

This first chart illustrates a comparison between Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers. Regarding the "him or me" rumors of a Trouba trade, I figured it was the proper comparison. As of right now, they're a pretty even split, but factoring in potential, I'd argue Trouba is a more desirable option.

Now this second one is where the fun really begins.

Via the WAR (Wins Above Replacement) metric, Jacob Trouba has elevated his game leaps and bounds since his rookie year, despite the poo-pooing from the people who claim his done nothing but regressed simply due to point totals. This metric argues that Jacob Trouba is the best Jets defeseman on the roster. Now obviously this is no perfect metric, (I don't think Myers is on Mark Stuart's level), but an aggregate of a few metrics paint a pretty decent picture.

AIH Authors’ Thoughts:

"I can not wait until Trouba starts playing with some legitimately good partners. If he can perform like a respectable NHL defenceman when paired with Mark Stuart, imagine how dominant he'd be able to be with someone who can play. I can just feel his breakout season coming." – Cole

"Trouba saw his season suffer a bit due to a few different reasons; Inconsistent partners, playing on his offside when partnering with Myers as second pairing, and covering the zone when Stuart was out looking for the big but failed hit…all of which helped him grow as a defenseman, brought out the grit and fortitude necessary to be a top defender in the league and ultimately shouldering the big time minutes and situations the Jets need going forward. Current contract stalemate aside, it would seem Trouba is the one holding the cards and as a result, holds his future in his hands." – Andy

"Trouba struggled last season but I'm willing to bet that being anchored to Mark Stuart was much of the reason as to why. The Jets are currently at a impasse it seems in getting a new contract signed. It would be truly foolish of the Jets to find a way to blow this with a player who could be Norris trophy defenseman when he hits his prime. If management just woke up to the fact that Stuart is hot garbage and paired Trouba with Enstrom they would see him return to his old form. " – Ian

"Still the "defenseman of the future", but guess what, he's already the defenseman of the now. At worst he's the third best defenseman and at only 22, there's plenty for him to improve on and get even better. Considering that he's already a high end #2 defenseman shows that he's really good and will only get better. Also his underlying numbers are showing him as a low-end #1 while still playing with Mark Stuart (via @DTMAboutHeart), that's the definition of a #niceplayer. Pay him now please, a cornerstone of the 2019 Cup team." – Brian
Summary:

Even my Twitter bio states how I'm a fanboy so this is obviously biased as all hell. There are so many unknowns as to where Trouba plays this year, but I certainly hope he's a long term fixture on the Jets' roster. As to the feasibility of it, there's no idea how it plays out, but the Jets would be much better in the long term with keeping Trouba.

What do you think about our #2 pick? Does he stay a Jet? If not, where does he end up? Let us know down in the comments!