Dynamic defence duo key to fruitful Jets future

Opinion

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This article was published 11/12/2018 (2461 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You have to give Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey some credit. The top-pairing Winnipeg Jets defencemen took some risk this summer when they opted for short-term deals rather than lengthy contract extensions.

They were, in essence, betting on themselves and on the belief being paid less now would lead to a king’s ransom down the road.

That gamble is going to pay off. Because what the dynamic duo was missing from its already impressive resumé — namely power-play time and increased offensive production — has been coming in spades this season.

Both players are on pace to surpass career highs in goals, assists, points and ice time per game, which is exactly what Morrissey, Trouba and their agents were banking on by deciding not to accept lengthy contracts.

Morrissey has taken the most significant jump offensively. Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the 23-year-old was on pace to score nine goals and add 36 assists over an 82-game campaign while playing an average of 22 minutes, 53 seconds per night. His previous bests are seven goals and 19 assists, set last season when he averaged nearly two-and-a-half minutes less per game.

Trouba, 24, would be right behind him with nine goals and 34 assists over a full season with 22:32 of average ice time. His previous highs came two seasons ago when he had eight goals and 25 helpers, albeit in just 60 games due to injury. He’s also playing about a full minute more per game this year.

Both have stepped up at various points this season, most recently when Dustin Byfuglien, Dmitry Kulikov and Joe Morrow were felled by injuries and the Jets were forced to dress as many as three AHL call-ups in their starting-six defence corps.

Trouba and Morrissey have set single-game highs in playing time this season, close to 30 minutes each, while allowing the Jets to keep pace with other NHL heavyweights and continue racking up victories. They’ve helped form one of the most potent power plays in the league, are major parts of an above-average penalty-killing unit, and add plenty of physicality and finesse to the back end.

Of course, the real strength of Trouba and Morrissey is what they do in their own end. They are the shutdown pair on a team that is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, facing their opponents’ best forward units on a nightly basis and routinely coming out on top.

They are the type of cornerstone players championship squads build around.

Just take a look at Tuesday night’s visitors at Bell MTS Place for proof.

Defencemen Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith have been key pieces of a Blackhawks franchise that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. They make just over US$12 million per season combined after signing massive extensions in 2009 (US$5.5 million per season over 13 years for Keith) and 2015 (US$6.875 million per season over eight years for Seabrook).

Now 33 and 35, respectively, they are not the powers they once were. And their salaries, once considered a bargain, now look more like anchors to a rebuild.

But there’s no denying the Blackhawks franchise got immense value out of them for years. And every organization, including the Jets, would gladly trade three championships for any potential headaches down the road.

Keith and Seabrook made history Tuesday when they became the first defensive duo in NHL history to play 1,000 games together. In a perfect world for the Jets, Trouba and Morrissey would be doing the same in about a decade from now, with several banners hanging from the rafters above them.

But nothing is perfect, especially in the salary-cap era. The current cap of US$79.5 million may jump to as much as US$83 million next season, but fitting Trouba and Morrissey in while retaining the core of the team is going to be a major challenge for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.

Sensational young forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor need new deals, and I’ve previously speculated in this space they may be worth something in the range of US$16 million per season combined.

So what’s the price tag for Trouba and Morrissey?

Morrissey is in year one of a two-year bridge-deal that pays him US$3.15 million per season after he briefly stayed away from training camp in September while negotiations on a lengthy extension stalled and, ultimately, fell short.

That’s a steal, considering all he brings to the team. But he’s set to cash in come the 2020-21 season. Expect his salary to double, at least, by then.

Trouba was awarded a US$5.5 million, one-year deal in arbitration this summer after he couldn’t reach an agreement with the Jets. He’ll be a restricted free agent again next summer, but just one year away from unrestricted free agency.

If the Jets are to keep him long term — and that’s certainly a big if considering the contentious history of contract negotiations that include a previous trade demand — the club will likely have to fork out something in the range of US$6 million a season at minimum.

It’s not a stretch to suggest Trouba and Morrissey could command a combined salary in the range of US$14 million per season. Add that to Laine and Connor’s new contracts and it could be somewhere north of US$30 million for those four players.

Throw in existing extensions already handed out to Dustin Byfuglien, Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault and Adam Lowry — those eight players make just over US$46 million per season combined — and you can see where things get potentially dicey, if not downright impossible without some major surgery on the roster a year or two from now.

Despite the obvious challenges, Cheveldayoff must do everything possible to ensure his two top defencemen are in Winnipeg for the long haul. Never have they been more valuable to the organization, especially when you consider what the rest of the blue-line might soon look like with Byfuglien not getting any younger, pending UFA Tyler Myers likely moving on given the financial crunch, and Kulikov set to enter the final year of his pricey deal, perhaps even a candidate for a buy-out.

Quite frankly, the Jets can’t afford a future without Trouba and Morrissey.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg