The Jets and Jacob Trouba weren’t able to work out an agreement on a contract and wound up going through salary arbitration with him being awarded $5.5MM. The defenseman told Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe that he’s hopeful to avoid going that route next offseason and indicated that he remains open to signing a long-term pact with the team, acknowledging that there were long-term deals discussed over the summer. Winnipeg has several players in the final year of their contract including fellow blueliner Tyler Myers plus wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor and already has nearly $52.5MM committed to just 11 players for 2019-20. While Winnipeg may certainly be interested in giving Trouba a long-term contract, they may not be able to afford to do so without clearing out someone else to create the cap space.
More from the Central:
- Minnesota may be without winger Luke Kunin to start the season. Speaking with reporters, including Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press, he noted that he has not been cleared for contact from the ACL surgery he underwent back in early April. He’s slated to be re-evaluated in early October but even if he gets the green light, he may not be ready for the opener. The 20-year-old split the season between the Wild and their AHL affiliate in Iowa; he had two goals and two assists in 19 NHL games plus ten goals and nine helpers in 36 minor league contests.
- Predators defenseman Roman Josi has switched agencies, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. After previously being with Maloney & Thompson Sports Management, he has joined Wasserman/Orr Hockey. Despite the switch, it will still be a little while before the blueliner can negotiate a new contract as he’s ineligible for a contract extension until July 1st. At that time, Josi will certainly be looking for a significant increase on his current $4MM cap hit.