The San Jose Sharks spent the summer trying to fix their blue line, and Jacob Trouba’s new deal is already getting dragged for it.
Even with the expectation that San Jose’s 2026-27 defensive group will be better than the one it rolled out last season, the team’s two biggest moves have not exactly won over the crowd. Trouba’s contract, in particular, has been singled out by multiple experts as one of the NHL’s worst.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic didn’t mince words: "Trouba has some great intangible elements and plays the game with a fierce edge, but his one-ice value is closer to No. 4/5 territory than what this deal expects: a No. 2 defenseman. It’s been a very long time since Trouba has been that.
He had a one-off season at that level in 2021-22. But not since his time in Winnipeg has Trouba consistently put up top-pair numbers."
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News was just as skeptical, though he framed it through Trouba’s recent production: "Trouba had a decent season with the Ducks last year, putting up 10 goals and 35 points in 81 games. But if he’s being asked to be in San Jose’s top D-pairing, that’s too much for a guy who was traded away by the New York Rangers and let go by the Ducks in free agency.
Trouba’s experience has value for the Sharks, but at the cost San Jose paid for him, Trouba isn’t likely to be a great-value addition. He can mentor the Sharks’ youngsters, but other than that, Trouba isn’t a difference-maker."
The criticism lands because the concerns are easy to understand. Trouba still brings physicality and can chip in offensively, but the idea of leaning on him as a top-pair defenseman feels like a stretch at this stage of his career. He looks more like a second-pair fit than a true anchor.
At the same time, the contract has to be viewed in a changing market. What once felt like a heavy price for a second-pair defenseman is moving fast, and the league is no longer living in the $4-5 million range for that kind of player. Bowen Byram’s extension in Chicago is one example of that shift.
The bigger wave is still coming. Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski are expected to push defensive salaries even higher in a year or two, with top defensemen moving into the same financial territory as the highest-paid forwards. When that happens, Trouba’s deal will look more like the going rate for an average second-pairing defenseman.
San Jose is also operating with enough cap room that the deal is less of a short-term burden than it would be for plenty of other teams. Trouba probably won’t match the expectations attached to the contract in the first couple of seasons, but unless his play falls off sharply later in the deal, the salary should settle into something manageable.
The real danger, as both Luszczyszyn and Proteau pointed out, is usage. If the Sharks try to force Trouba into top-pair minutes, the contract could age badly. If they keep him in a role that matches where he is now, the signing has a much better chance of making sense.
In Other News...
Sharks Opening Night Picture Brings One Huge Celebrini Question Into Focus
A speculative opening-night roster picture can tell you a lot about where the Sharks are headed, even before anything is official. The forward group alone would be a mix of established names and young talent, with Macklin Celebrini at the center of the conversation and a long list of possible pieces around him, from veterans like Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg to prospects such as Michael Misa, Will Smith and Ivar Stenberg.
The deeper intrigue is on the blue line and in goal, where the projected defense group already looks crowded and the battle for a couple of spots could stretch into camp. With Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic penciled in as the goaltending tandem, the bigger storyline remains the same one hovering over the entire roster build: who, if anyone, is ready to emerge as the next true difference-maker up front alongside Celebrini. [Read more 🡒]