More ice for Trouba

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This article was published 15/12/2015 (3881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s being sold as a minutes thing. Jacob Trouba has a new defence partner in Dustin Byfuglien and, if nothing else, the brainstorm gives Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice the opportunity to boost the ice time of one of the team’s best blue-liners.

But there are other layers to the decision to have Trouba flip from the right side to the left alongside Byfuglien. It’s about matchups. It’s about having three solid right-hand shots fighting for minutes — including Tyler Myers — and trying to find a balance and divvy up ice time.

It’s also about two other things, one pressing and one looking down the road: The Jets need to starting winning STAT and they need to do everything they can to give Trouba the chance to take that proverbial next step and morph into the dominant NHL defenceman most in the game believe he will become.

So, what’s the upside of a Trouba-Byfuglien pairing, both in the here and now and in the future?

“We’re going to find that out,” said Maurice after practice Monday. “(More) minutes, puck movement, playing against teams that have two very-powerful offensive lines… and getting him in those kind of minutes against those kinds of players, not just for development, but he needs to play against those kind of guys to get to the next level.”

Trouba has averaged 20 minutes and 15 seconds in ice time this year while being paired with Mark Stuart on what was the team’s third duo. That’s still third-highest on the team behind Byfuglien (23:47) and Myers (21:32), but down from last year’s 23:18. His average shifts per game is also down from 29.3 last year to 24.8.

Granted, his start this season has been just so-so and the decision to move him up with Byfuglien has come because his recent improved play means he has earned it. Maurice said Monday he’s seen Trouba move the puck quickly and jump into the play more of late, two skills that could work well with Byfuglien — an adept passer with superb vision.

But there’s also a sense the 21-year-old Trouba is still miles away from what his potential ceiling might be. And that his growth isn’t going to come with less ice time, but with more.

“It’s what you do with them,” said Trouba of extra minutes. “I don’t think they’re giving them. You have to earn them and keep earning them and if you don’t deserve them they’ll definitely go down. It’s something you’ve got to keep earning.

“You want a bigger role, always. Hopefully more comes with that and I can take advantage of it.”

Trouba explained Monday the difference between 20 minutes of ice time and, say, 25 minutes is mammoth. It’s also about not sitting for eons during games dominated by power plays — his 12 minutes and 20 seconds of ice while the Jets are on the man advantage is just fourth-highest on the team among D-men (behind Byfuglien, Myers and Toby Enstrom).

Worth noting: Trouba leads all Jets defencemen in penalty-kill time and, given their consistent procession to the box, that’s substantial.

“It’s getting into a groove, into a rhythm in the game,” said Trouba. “You don’t really get stuck sitting or going out a bunch in a row. You just get into a rhythm, the game just comes to you and flows a little better.”

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Now, while teammates have often raved about the benefits of being paired with a player such as Enstrom, teaming up with Byfuglien will offer Trouba some different looks. And some different challenges. It’s also a world away from the stay-at-home partner he’s had for most of his days as a Jet in Mark Stuart.

“It’s Buff,” said Trouba with a grin and a shrug when asked for his early returns on being paired with big No. 33. “There’s times in a game where you’ve just got to let him kinda do his thing. There’s things that really only he can do so you’ve got to try to get out of his way sometimes. Other times you just try to read off him and feed off his energy and the type of player he is.

“He’s a physical and demanding player and he can open up some space on the ice.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait