from Jared Clinton of The Hockey News,

A select few players who signed one-year pacts this off-season, though, could be staring down a make-or-break signing period between January 1 and the trade deadline, while one player on the following list is simply intriguing due to his recent performance. So, with that in mind, here are five players signed to one-year deals whose contract situations — and potential for an extension — will be worth watching come New Year’s Day:

JACOB TROUBA, WINNIPEG JETS
After a move into a top-four role on the Jets blueline and a successful season that culminated in the Western Conference final, the expectation around Winnipeg was that Trouba, 24, would be interested in inking a long-term deal that kept him with the franchise well into the future. That wasn’t quite the case, however, as the Jets and Trouba’s camp engaged in tough contract talks for the second time in the blueliner’s career, this time with an arbitrator handing out a one-year, $5.5-million contract.

But the one-year pact doesn’t give much certainty that Trouba will be around for the long haul. Would the Jets love to keep him in town? Most certainly, particularly as he continues to grow into an extremely effective two-way defenseman. If there’s no extension signed following Jan. 1 or even in the months leading up to free agency, Winnipeg might have to give some real thought to moving Trouba instead of letting another potential arbitration saga drag into another summer. That’s especially true with unrestricted free agency not all that far in the offing.

4 more players (Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Kevin Hayes and Brock Nelson)...