Monday, November 7, 2016

Winnipeg Jets Resign Jacob Trouba to Two Year Deal




The Winnipeg Jets announced on Monday that they resigned restricted free agent defenseman, Jacob Trouba to a two year, six-million-dollar contract. 

Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff noted that the signing will help the organization fill a void on the blue line, with Tyler Myers and Mark Stuart out due to lower body injuries. 

He said, “It is something we are very excited to be able to announce today. Obviously, a lot of work goes into these types of things. Today we were able to come to terms.”
 
Cheveldayoff added, “Jacob means a great deal to our organization. These things take time. We are very excited about this announcement and moving forward, putting everything that has happened or what was said behind us.”  

Back in September, the 22-year-old defenseman requested a trade out of Winnipeg. His agent, Kurt Overhurt, noted at the time, that Trouba had become disgruntled over not playing on his favored side of the ice, and had hoped a trade would help him find his full potential as a right-handed defenseman.

The ninth overall pick in the 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft, has suited up in 211 games for the Jets over the past three seasons. During the 2015-2016 season, he put up six goals and 15 assists with a plus-10 rating in 81 games. 

Cheveldayoff and Overhurt met with each this past Friday, during the Jets game against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Trouba had been continuing his training in Detroit, while he was waiting for a contract offer. 

Cheveldayoff said, “He is a hockey player, he wants to play hockey. I am glad he has that opportunity now to continue that process.”

The general manager hopes that the Jets will be able to have Trouba in the lineup on Tuesday night when they face off against the Dallas Stars. As he has not played since the World Cup of Hockey this past summer, he may not be in game shape yet. 

Cheveldayoff did note that Trouba is a popular player in the dressing room and should be welcomed back by his teammates. Many of the Jets players had hoped during training camp that the team would resign him. 

The general manager said, “Everybody that is in this game knows that there is a business side to the game. There are the contracts, the collective bargaining agreement, all the things that make the game tick are there. When the players are in the room, that is their family, that is their team. When someone is out for whatever reason, those are the things that teams deal with. But certainly, within the room, I think he will be welcomed back and it is going to be an exciting time to continue our building process.”
 
He added, “He is a young player here that can play a lot of minutes and can do a lot of different things from a playing standpoint. Getting Jacob back, once he rounds into form here, that will certainly to help us improve with the young players we have in the lineup.”  

No comments:

Post a Comment