Jacob Trouba did not start the season with the Jets has he did not sign a contract until November 7 after the Winnipeg Jets and the young defenceman could not agree on a contract over the summer until it came out that Trouba wanted a trade instead of staying with the Jets. However, when the stalemate ended and Trouba conceded to signing a two-year contract with the Jets, he set the team on fire and helped solidify the top four of the defence until injuries hit the team.
Trouba is a fine defenceman for the Jets and has developed from someone who has to carry Mark Stuart in the top four to someone who gets to play alongside an actual top four defenceman. While he started his season on the bottom pair, this was expected as he missed all of pre-season and a couple weeks of the regular season because he did not have a contract. Once he settled into a rhythm, he became a key player for the Jets and one that should be part of their long term plans.
As you can see, Trouba had a bit of an adjustment period to start his season, but once he got up to speed he was very, very good. In fact, he was a linchpin for the Jets and a driver of success for the team. Trouba is probably best complimented by Josh Morrissey whose mobility allows him to roam more than playing with Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom, who perfectly compliment each other.
It is time to recognize that although he is not as consistent as some would like, Trouba is a fantastic player and it should be a priority of Kevin Cheveldayoff to extend his contract this offseason. The Jets should be willing to pay Trouba around seven million dollars a season; he is that good. Even with Trouba missing the pre-season and early going he was able to acclimatize to the NHL without missing much. This should be something that the Jets realize they need more of. They have the forwards, but the defence needs a lot more work and the best way for that to happen is to retain the excellent players already there, including Trouba. It will be costly and the Jets have to understand what they are paying for when it comes to Trouba contract. He might not be a point-producing defenceman, but he helps drive the offence; he makes life easier for the Jets forwards.
Trouba’s season started off in a stalemate and then when he started playing, he started off slow. Once he got going though, he was hard to stop. This helped show his value to the Jets, even when the wins were not coming.
