from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,
Cheveldayoff’s most important decision will be the future of Jacob Trouba. Like Byfuglien, Trouba is a three-zone, right-shot defenseman.
But while the Jets have a good projection of Byfuglien’s next five seasons, they don’t have the same clarity with Trouba. Nobody does with 21-year-old defensemen. Trouba could develop into Winnipeg’s version of Drew Doughty. Or he could round into more of a muted but still dependable defenseman like Erik Johnson.
Trouba will be restricted after this season. His asking price will start at Dougie Hamilton’s six-year, $34.5 million contract. It will be up to Cheveldayoff whether sinking $18.85 million into three right-side defensemen (Byfuglien, Trouba, and Tyler Myers) is a good investment. If Cheveldayoff can stomach that price, Toby Enstrom could be the defenseman to go. If not, the Jets will reluctantly put Trouba on the market and expect a Ryan Johansen-type return.
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