Earlier this week the Jets sent qualifying offers to all of their restricted free agents (except for Moose forward Austen Brassard). With the qualifying offers out RFAs can now speak to other teams as we approach the start of free agency on July 1st. While we don’t see many offers sheets in the NHL there had been some buzz that Jacob Trouba could be the subject of an offer sheet.
When the topic was broached at the draft in Buffalo and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was asked if he had heard any rumblings he offered up this “Only when you guys ask me a question”.
Of course the week after the draft is always buzz worthy and this week is proving no different. Two Bruins beat writers tweeted late last night that the team they cover could be considering such a move with the Jets 1st round pick in 2012:
Hearing lots of chatter today/tonight that #Bruins could be preparing an offer sheet for Jets RFA defenseman Jacob Trouba. #NHLFreeagency
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) June 29, 2016
I’ve heard the same. 4 1st round picks a lot to give up, but would be worth it if they feel Trouba is a No. 1 guy https://t.co/mNi4LNa2dA
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 29, 2016
Following these tweets CSN New England reporter Joe Haggerty wrote an article detailing the Bruins interest in putting a big offer sheet out for Jacob Trouba:
According to a hockey source, Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins “are preparing an offer sheet” this week for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba as an aggressive option to land a No. 1 defenseman after trades didn’t pan out at last weekend’s NHL Draft.
Perhaps this is just a feint by the Bruins. Perhaps they are just testing the waters. Or maybe they are ready to present a big offer sheet to land themselves a prized first pairing defenceman like Jacob Trouba.
Of course it is worth noting that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said in his pre-draft chat with the media back on June 14th that “I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about people targeting our RFAs for offer sheets. I think we are certainly well positioned from a cap standpoint and from an organization standpoint that really doesn’t come into my thought process at all…..we made sure that we would never be vulnerable to that”.
The Jets would have two options:
1) Right of first refusal which would essentially see the team match any offer made by another team
2) They don’t match and receive compensation. As Haggerty outlined in his article based on the contract the Bruins would have to offer Trouba (average annual value of at least $9.3 million) this compensation would amount to a staggering four 1st round picks as compensation.
And now we wait until that July 1st deadline to see what happens.
