It’s time to dissect the somewhat shocking news from yesterday. The reality that should have sunk into the Winnipeg Jets fandom yesterday is that cornerstone defence man Jacob Trouba wants out of Winnipeg. That’s the brass tax of it all, the reasons, should not matter now. Jets GM has one job and that is to maximize return for the player. Does anyone really think the relationship and problems can be overcome?
These quote provided by Mike McIntrye from the Free Press from Mathieu Perreault might be an indication as to how this news is being received by some Jets players.
Look, what is not being lost is that Trouba had the second most minutes of any Jets defence after Byfuglien last season. However most of those minutes were played with Mark Stuart and judging by his agent’s remarks that is not lost on Trouba.
TSN reporter Gary Lawless had this to say today via Twitter based on his obviously busy day following up on the breaking news:
So what happens now?
The biggest date and point of no return is December 1st. If Trouba has not been traded or signed by then he has to sit the entire season. The Jets will continue to hold his rights until he turns 26 and at that point he becomes a UFA. There’s no way Trouba and his camp want to take that risk with the only option for him being Europe or the KHL in that time.
There’s a deal here but before we get to that point there’s some un-answered questions.
What happened between May and now that did not allow Chevy to make trade if he was aware of the player’s issues/concerns?
Was Overhardt not able to procure a offer sheet because if matched it would have kept his client in a situation where the organizational depth kept him in the same place?
Is the statement about Trouba and his playing position on the team to be believed?
Are there other moves that could be made that would allow Trouba to want to stay in Winnipeg?
Herein lies the stuff that fans are going to dwell on- but do they matter? Do these unanswered questions matter to what has to happen going forward?
Perhaps the only one is if something can happen that would make Trouba decide he can stay. That is probably the least likely and then you have other questions such as why the Jets are so committed to Tyler Myers over Trouba? Then looking back Trouba would still be behind Bogo (his good friend) and Buff so this situation was in the making long before the trade of Bogo and Kane.
It’s still curious to this writer how the situation evolved to what it is now. That opportunity could not be provided in a way that was adequate for both the player and the team. Maybe it’s simply a case of ‘blame millennials’ again.
The challenge now is that something has to be done and there’s no reason to think that what Lawless had reported is true. Left-handed defence man in same age category. So let’s take a look at those.
Here’s the link from HockeyReference.com from last year on players who were 22 or 23 and LHD.
CLICK HERE
See anyone on that list you might fancy as a Jet?
Here is the
SAME LIST with players from 22-26 as LHD. Options get a little better if you expand the age range.
The kicker here is this probably won’t be a hockey deal as much as taking on lesser player plus a blue chip prospect and hopefully a defensive one. If that is the case who makes the most season as a trading partner? I’d start that search by looking easy and wonder if teams such as the Leafs or Flyers would be interested?
That’s a bit premature right now but for the Jets while they have an abundance of RHD the loss of Trouba still has an effect and that’s something the team and it’s fans should be aware of right now. Until a trade is made there is simply a big hole that needs to be filled. Hopefully that’s motivation for the few potential prospects such as Morrissey to see the opportunity here.
That would be the best case scenario for the Jets and creates a void of pressure forcing them to make a trade. One can only hope.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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