We are just two days into the NHL season and with the sample size so small the scene is ripe for overreaction. Still, it was hard not to notice the standout performance of 19 year old rookie Jacob Trouba.
Rookie Jacob Trouba celebrates his first career goal. As fantasy enthusiasts we should be more excited about his time on ice and power play role (Photo: Derek Leung / Getty Images)
With nine goals in the Jets season opener against the Oilers there were plenty of fantasy performances to like, but Trouba’s should register with those looking for value on the blue line. His first career goal was hardly a beauty, but it found the back of the net and when coupled with an earlier assist and a plus two rating he had a productive night.
More importantly, from a fantasy perspective, the young defenseman logged more than 25 minutes on the ice including time on the power play. While it was unclear if Trouba would stick in Winnipeg to start the season as recently as a week ago, he now seems likely to see time in the top 4 along Winnipeg’s blue line. It is still possible that he gets sent down in the coming days to avoid accumulating a year of service, but the Jets could stand to have the firepower on their back end and the 25 minute commitment to the rookie suggests they have greater plans for him.
He’s a player worth a speculative add, or at the very least Trouba needs to be on your radar. The kid comes to the league with a pedigree after all. Winnipeg drafted Trouba out of Michigan with the 9th overall pick in 2012, where he scored 29 points in 37 games last year. He won’t get you two points every night and maintenance of his College PPG (.78) is likely out of the question as well, but at the moment it looks like he’ll log plenty of minutes including precious time with the extra man.
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