Rumor: Jacob Trouba to the Pittsburgh Penguins
The 2016-17 NHL season is now a month old, which means that the trade rumors are about to start picking up. One that I heard over the weekend that really pricked up my ears was Olli Maatta to the Winnipeg Jets for Jacob Trouba. While I'm not sure how much credibility there is behind the source here, it's still an interesting proposition that I thought might be worth taking a look at.
Olli Maatta looked like he was going to be the future of the Penguins blue line. He began his career with an outstanding rookie season, but was slowed down, literally and figuratively, by two shoulder surgeries, mumps, and a successful battle with cancer. Still, the young Finnish blue liner had done enough to get offered a 6 year contract that was worth slightly over $4 million per season. Now, Maatta looks slow, is losing puck battles, and overall has become a bit of a liability for the Penguins on defense. He's still very young, and the potential in Maatta is still extremely high, but the Penguins may be interested in moving the 22 year old defenseman before his limited no trade clause kicks in in 2020.
Jacob Trouba is currently in a standoff with the Winnipeg Jets. He has requested a trade from the organization and has publicly stated that he never wants to play in Winnipeg again. Trouba, also 22 years old, and is top two defensemen material. I personally believe that Trouba has a slight offensive advantage over Maatta, but it's not day and night. Statistically, there isn't much difference between Trouba and Maatta. But, one thing that I believe entices the Penguins is that Trouba is a right-handed defenseman. Kris Letang and Justin Shultz are the only two Penguins defensemen who have a right-handed shot, although Trevor Daley prefers to play his off side, so it has worked out. But, Daley is aging and Shultz is a free agent after this season, so the Penguins would be happy to add depth to the right side of their blue line.
Trouba is currently an RFA. This means that if he does not re-sign with the Jets or another team before December 1, he will be unable to appear in any NHL games this season. Right now, Trouba has essentially three options. One, continue to hold out and not play at all this season. Two, re-sign with the Jets and begin playing again. Three, have his rights traded to a new team and re-sign with them. Obviously, option three is at the top of Trouba's list, but this option is totally in Winnipeg's control. They aren't going to give Trouba away for nothing, and not having him in the lineup hasn't really hurt them this season, so they have all the power here.
The big question for the Penguins is what kind of contract will Trouba be looking for. Bob McKenzie says that Trouba could be worth a 6 year contract at $5.5 million per. If that were the case, the Penguins would have to move some money around to take on the extra $1.5 million on their cap. There's also the possibility that Trouba, eager to get back into game action and excited for a fresh start outside of Winnipeg, would take a pay cut. After all, getting a chance to play for the defending Stanley Cup champions has been enough for other players to take a bargain deal in the past. It's all very up in the air still, but the Penguins have a whole staff of salary gurus who know how to make that stuff work. That is to say, if the Penguins do trade for Trouba, they have a financial plan in mind.
Jim Rutherford likes to make "change of scenery" trades. The proof is in Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin and Justin Shultz. That is essentially what a Maatta for Trouba trade would be.
In my opinion, Olli Maatta is a steep price to pay for a player with whom the Penguins would still have to negotiate a contract. I don't think Maatta has been bad enough for immediate action to be taken, but with the rumor being floated out there, I thought it would be worth looking into the players involved.
