A Look Back at the Jacob Trouba Trade Two Years Later

For the Winnipeg Jets, they were put in a tough situation by Trouba demanding a trade. Obviously, they were hesitant to trade their franchise star and teams were not offering equal value as they knew the Jets would be scrambling to trade him. The Jets finally accepted a trade that sent Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers and in return, Neal Pionk and a first-round pick were sent to the Jets. Ironically the first-round pick was originally the Jets that was traded to the Rangers for Kevin Hayes but that is a different trade to breakdown on a different day. 

New York Rangers Receive: Jacob Trouba

When the trade went down, it seemed like an absolute steal for the Rangers. They acquired what seemed like a superstar defenseman on the rise. The former ninth overall pick played six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. He was a very good defenseman consistently scoring around 25 points a season. In the 2018-19 season, he exploded and scored eight goals and added 42 assists for 50 total points and he played all 82 games. 

When the Rangers acquired him, they saw a big 6"3", 209-pound defenseman that could play in all situations of the game. Trouba is a versatile defenseman that can play in all situations and scenarios. New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton was quoted saying "He’s going to come in and he’s going to play big minutes". Obviously, they were very pleased with their acquisition and they decided to make sure he was going to be a Ranger for the indefinite future as the two parties agreed to a seven-year contract worth $56 million. It looked like it was going to be a good match. 

Since joining the Rangers, Trouba has played 84 games across two seasons. In his time with the Rangers, he has scored seven goals and has collected 23 assists. He has also brought a physical style of play to the Rangers blueline that they did not have before. Unfortunately, Trouba just suffered a hand injury that puts him on the sidelines for the next four to six weeks.

Winnipeg Jets Receive Neal Pionk and 2019 First-Round Draft Pick (Ville Heinola)

When the trade went down, this seemed like a terrible trade for the Winnipeg Jets. They traded their rising superstar defenseman for at that point an unproven defenseman and a mid-first-round pick. Well, the unproven defenseman turned out to be pretty good.

In Neal Pionk’s first season with the Winnipeg Jets, he played 71 regular-season games and was fantastic. He scored six goals and assisted on 39 others. This season he has been just as good if not better. So far he has played 15 games and although he only has one goal, his real value is his passing game. He has dished out 11 assists so far. He is a terrific skater and has used it to his advantage to score some fantastic goals including this one. 

The other part of the trade was a first-round pick that was the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. With this pick, the Winnipeg Jets decided to draft Ville Heinola. The Finnish defenseman is only 19 years old and has only played nine NHL games. Eight of those games were during the 2019-20 season. During those eight games, he scored one goal and assisted on four others. A very promising start to his career.

After the brief eight-game stint, he was loaned back to Lukko of the Liiga. He also spent time playing in the world juniors for team Finland. He had five assists in seven total games. He continues to look like a very promising defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets.

Who Won the Jacob Trouba Trade?

In conclusion, the New York Rangers lost the Jacoba Trouba trade as Neal Pionk has been much better for the Winnipeg Jets and Trouba has not been nearly as good for the Rangers. Also, the Jets acquired Finnish defenseman Ville Heinola in the trade and he looks like he has a very promising NHL future ahead of him.

Not to mention that the Jets are paying Neal Pionk and Ville Heinola a lot less than the Rangers are paying Jacob Trouba. This is why the Winnipeg Jets won the Jacob Trouba trade. Give your opinion about the Jacob Trouba trade in the comments down below.  

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