Arizona Coyotes Should Withdraw From Jacob Trouba Sweepstakes

Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka may be tempted to look into acquiring Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba. But he should hold steady on the current course and embrace the team’s blue-line depth.

The Arizona Coyotes have been mentioned as possible buyers for disgruntled Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba. He announced through his agent that he won’t report to training camp due to the Jets allegedly not getting anywhere with his new contract.

Trouba would be a great new addition to the Coyotes, as he would to any team. He has shown significant skill in his young career, and is an asset for Winnipeg.

I admit when I saw that he could become available, my first thought was that the Coyotes should make a deal to bring him on. The team does have enough assets that a deal could get done without giving up too much future talent.

At least, that was before Kevin Cheveldayoff implied that Trouba would only go in a like-for-like trade.

Since the Arizona Coyotes picked up Alex Goligoski in the offseason, and Jacob Chychrun in the draft, the blue-line began to look bright for the franchise. Signing Connor Murphy to a long-term deal, and inking Michael Stone to a one-year agreement solidified the team’s plans.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson playing alongside that group spells victory to me. Chychrun could potentially start with the team this year, or will be along in a season or two. Kevin Connauton, Klas Dahlbeck, and Zbynek Michalek round out the blue-line talent with decent depth.

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We don’t yet know how this group will gel together in the upcoming season. In addition, the team has absorbed several contracts as part of player deals that count toward the salary cap.

The Tobias Rieder situation is yet to be resolved. There’s a need to maintain some cap space over the next few years and prepare for other, costlier contracts. Adding Trouba now, if it were possible, could be a luxury the Arizona Coyotes may not be able to afford long term.

Rieder could be part of a deal to be had for sure. But Winnipeg exchanging someone with contract issues for another is likely not what the team has in mind.

And then there’s Chayka’s analytics approach to the game.

Chayka has demonstrated that he’s willing to pay for the right player to make the team better. But perhaps he’s not willing to get involved in a sweepstakes where he could potentially overpay for future talent.

Trouba has shown himself to be an asset, but leaks to the media recently pegged Trouba’s asking price in the $7 million range per season. That doesn’t sound like a deal based on past performance, but rather a deal based on future projection.

And any breakdown of the numbers by Chayka and his team to analyze giving Trouba that size of deal would likely not support it. Trouba would end up being the highest paid player on the team. That could spark new salary discussions with some of the more established Coyotes players.

We don’t yet know the makeup of the Arizona Coyotes roster this year and whether the team has finished acquiring players. There is the expansion draft next year. Right now the Coyotes are primed to keep all of their young talent without exposing any key players.

Making an expensive player acquisition could change that, and expose a defenseman the team is counting on keeping, or Trouba himself.

The Arizona Coyotes are in a good position right now with their blue-line, and should embrace it. A good deal for another player may come along, or already be under discussion, that could involve moving Rieder and getting something solid in return.

Next: Is Oliver Ekman-Larsson the Coyotes Captain of the Future?

Although I enjoy watching him play, Trouba will not become an Arizona Coyote. And that’s okay.

We have several potential future stars at the position, and we’re prepared for the 2016-17 season with a stable group of blue-liners.

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