Jets Notes: Trouba, Myers, Armia

Amid speculation that his re-signing did not mean he wanted to be in Winnipeg, Jacob Trouba has set the record straight. According to Jets beat writer Ken Wiebe, Trouba has rescinded his trade request. The 22-year-old defenseman ended his holdout by agreeing to a new two-year, $6MM contract yesterday, and with it, Trouba insists that he is “committed” to Winnipeg.

What is curious about the situation is that nothing has changed in regards to Trouba’s original complaints. The young righty blue liner felt that he was blocked from playing to his full potential by the depth of Winnipeg’s defense. Fellow right-handers Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers had relegated Trouba to third-pair duty on the right side or off his natural side at left defense, which he was unhappy about. As of now, Byfuglien and Myers are still Jets and Trouba is still looking at less responsibility than he would like. Wiebe does report that head coach Paul Maurice will consider giving Trouba play time on both sides, including top-four time on the right side, to maximize his play time and effectiveness.

While Trouba may have rescinded his trade request, that does not necessarily mean that Winnipeg will stop taking call on him. The potential star is worth more to the Jets on the team than as a trade chip, but given the contentious relations over the past few months and the likelihood that these complaints will continue, they may not want to go through the whole process again in less than two years. Trouba would be worth a lot should the Jets choose to trade him away, and many teams have reportedly been very interested. With a new, affordable deal in place, Trouba could be even more valuable on the market right now. All signs point to both sides being happy with their reunion for now, but don’t be surprised if one side or the other returns to trade talks before the end of this new contract.

In other Winnipeg news:

• Speaking of Tyler Myers and Winnipeg’s D depth, the Jets announced today that they have activated Myers from the injured reserve. The big defenseman was placed on IR retroactively this past Friday  after missing multiple games with a lower body injury, but has already been deemed healthy enough to play. In a corresponding move, the team sent Julian Melchiori back to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, after he filled in for Trouba for four games.

• One of the group that came over from Buffalo with Myers in the blockbuster trade a few years ago, Joel Armia, will not be on the ice to see his long-time teammate return. Armia has now been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to earlier in the week, with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Wiebe reports that Maurice does not expect to see Armia or Shawn Matthias (also on IR) back anytime soon. The pair could be out through the end of the calendar year.