Jacob Trouba fits that bill perfectly. And given the 25-year-old’s rocky road with the Winnipeg Jets when it came to his contract status, and the fact that he is one year away from free agency and looking for a fresh start, now would have been the perfect time to the Maple Leafs to take a stab at prying Trouba away from Winnipeg.
The only hold up with that? They can’t. Because the New York Rangers beat them to it, and for a shockingly low price.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft (originally from WPG).