Jacob Trouba - how much love?

[fungchen3]

In a points only format where goals are worth 2x, how much love are you giving Trouba? What do you see his realistic upside as?

Long-term, how would you rank him in comparison to these other young D pups:

Morgan Rielly
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Victor Hedman
Dougie Hamilton
Justin Schultz
Aaron Ekblad
Seth Jones
Torey Krug
John Carlson

[EichelTower]

Jones
OEL
Trouba
Hamilton
Hedman
Krug
Ekblad
Rielly
Carlson
Schultz

[Call of Doughty]

OEL, Trouba, Krug, Rielly, Hedman and Hamilton would be my top 6 long term with much emphasis on goals. I can see him being a 20+ goal dman adding 25+ assists. He does have a rocket from the point. I've preached Weber 2.0 on these forums before. I think he skates better than Shea too. Hope this helps in any way.

[forsbergfan]

trouba needs lots of love from u. i'd rank jones, hamilton and hedman ahead of him, but that's it. i'd put him ahead of oel and reilly.
maybe ekblad should be ahead of him, but it's too early to tell.

[SeaDawg]

I really like Trouba's game. Skates unbelievably well, creates all kinds of offensive chances while still playing solid defense. If the Jets are committed to keeping Byfuglien at forward all season, which they say they are, Trouba could have a huge season as the #1 offensive option (no offense meant to an underrated Enstrom).

I could see Trouba get 15 goals and 20-25 assists this season and long-term I think he could be a 20 goal dman.

Ranking him with those other dmen long-term is challenging because they are all so good and circumstances can change so easily. With dmen, it is all about opportunity and in the long-term it is hard to say for certain if all those dmen will be on the team's top pp unit, which is a must if they want to put up decent points (especially goals).

If you wanted me to take a crack at it, I'd probably rank them like this, but really I'm only confident about the top three:

Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jacob Trouba
Victor Hedman
Dougie Hamilton
Seth Jones
Morgan Rielly
Justin Schultz
Aaron Ekblad
Torey Krug
John Carlson

[doulos]

That's a pretty great set of blueliners, so differentiating between them is pretty tough.

Almost everyone on that list is capable of putting up big points, so in a points only league I would only really put Hamilton down as a player who should do worse than Trouba. That being said, Trouba is right in the mix with almost all of those guys. This feels like a personal preference choice.

[ross10019]

Trouba will be gold in leagues that count 2x goals for D. And the beauty is it won't take him 4+ yrs to become fantasy-worthy like Hedman. I see him a better option than all those Dmen except OEL and Hamilton, maybe Hedman.

[fungchen3]

I see him a better option than all those Dmen except OEL and Hamilton, maybe Hedman.

That's high praise, Ross. Especially since Hedman is coming off a 55 points in 75 GP season. You really like Trouba that much?!

[doulos]

I really feel like people are underselling the quality of d-men on that list. Trouba looks great, but he's had one season so far. Risky.

[Atomic Wedgy]

I dont like Trouba.... I love him.

[Axeman33]

That's a pretty great set of blueliners, so differentiating between them is pretty tough.

Almost everyone on that list is capable of putting up big points, so in a points only league I would only really put Hamilton down as a player who should do worse than Trouba. That being said, Trouba is right in the mix with almost all of those guys. This feels like a personal preference choice.

I have to agree with doulos here. This is a real tough one and more a matter of personal opinion. The only guy I feel comfortable thinking Trouba would be a better scorer than would be Carlson. I just dont see the offensive upside for him that many do. After that, it could really come down to a variable of things that make one guy better than the next.

Does Winnipeg really have to offensive forwards to help propel Trouba up there with the other guys? Who really knows how well Ekblad will adjust. A lot of unknowns.

[plug]

Tons of trouba love here.. But tons of good option.. I agree with the personal preference statement... Mine is hedman and trouba then jones and Hamilton.

[CascadeFilly]

Does Winnipeg really have to offensive forwards to help propel Trouba up there with the other guys? Who really knows how well Ekblad will adjust. A lot of unknowns.

I think Winnipeg is a bit better offensively than many give them credit for. In theory, with such a young team that should improve. That aside, Trouba generates an awful lot himself. His ability to rush is a tool that will help him excel beyond the guys that are just great quarterbacks who can shoot and pass, which Trouba can also do.

[Axeman33]

Man if I didnt know better, I'd swear we are talking about Paul Coffey and not some kid named Trouba.

[doulos]

Silly comparison. Trouba plays much better defense than Paul Coffey ...