The Winnipeg Jets and restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba are reportedly pretty far apart in their current contract negotiations. Trouba, 22, is not only looking for more money and a longer contract, but he’s also looking for the Jets to commit to using him differently in the future.
As reported by TSN’s Gary Lawless (and transcribed by The Score), Trouba and the Jets appear to be divided on a variety of topics, but the young defenseman has a clear idea of how he wants to be used.
“Jacob Trouba doesn’t want to play in the bottom pairing anymore. He wants to play with Dustin Byfuglien or one of the other top four D in Winnipeg. He wants power-play time. He wants to be a big part of what they’re doing in Winnipeg if he’s going to be here for a long time.”
Trouba is coming off of a 2015-16 season in which he averaged roughly 22:06 of ice time (a career low) and produced just 21 points (also a career low). He’ll likely grow and improve as an NHL defenseman, but the issue is that he is making several demands without any real statistics or successes to back things up. There’s no question he’s talented – which is why so many teams were reportedly interested in trading for him – but he may be overvaluing himself a bit much at this stage.
The Jets need to handle this situation carefully. It’s important to lock up Trouba as he’s an important part of their defensive nucleus not only in 2016-17 but also in the years ahead, but they can’t break the bank or make too many promises which might lead to a future cap problem or rift.
The two sides sound pretty distant at the time of this report, but things can change in a hurry. Barring a big surprise, look for the Jets and Trouba to find some middle ground sooner than later.
