The Detroit Red Wings need to address their defense this summer. A great way to do that would be to trade for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba.
After hiring Steve Yzerman to be their general manager, the Detroit Red Wings should be looking to make moves to spark their stagnant rebuild. Specifically, their defense has very few promising parts. The Red Wings would be wise to call up the Winnipeg Jets and ask about defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Trouba is currently a restricted free agent, though he can be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he signs a one-year deal. The Red Wings should be interested in signing him long-term. Trouba would give Detroit their best defenseman since 2012, when Nicklas Lidstrom retired.
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The Jets are looking to trade him because they can’t seem to agree on a long-term extension. With numerous free agents, Winnipeg is hoping to get a nice haul for Trouba, who is quietly one of the better defensemen in the league.
Trouba is a rarity. He’s a right-handed defenseman who can move the puck and play during all situations. Trouba is also just 25 years old, so the Red Wings could sign him to a long-term deal and not have to worry about paying him past his prime.
Last season, he had his most productive NHL season, as he posted a career-high 42 assists and 50 points. At five-on-five, Trouba posted 23 points, which placed him 32nd in the NHL among defensemen with at least 500 minutes. His 20 assists at five-on-five were tied for 21st among defensemen.
Trouba got a chance to show what he could do on the power play this season after Dustin Byfuglien‘s injury. Before the 2018-19 season, he had posted a career total of 20 power-play points. Trouba nearly doubled his career total in power-play points, posting a career-high 18 points, which ranked 15th in the NHL among defensemen.
Furthermore, he played over 200 minutes shorthanded for the third time in his career, averaging over 2:30 of ice time killing penalties per game. Trouba finally had the kind of season people knew he had in him.
The Cost
The cost of acquiring Trouba will be significant. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, they don’t have much to offer. It will likely cost them either Andreas Athanasiou or Anthony Mantha as the cornerstone of the return.
Detroit has three second-round picks in 2019 and two in 2020. The Red Wings could offer a package that includes Mantha or Athanasiou, plus at least one second round pick. They could also offer the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, according to NHL Rumors Daily, but that would be risky.
Trouba makes a lot of sense for Detroit. He’s a top-pairing defenseman who can move the puck and excel during all situations. Furthermore, Trouba is a hometown guy who was born in Rochester, Michigan and played for the Michigan Wolverines in college.
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