Toronto Maple Leafs: The case for and against pursuing Jacob Trouba

TSN’S Pierre LeBrun believes the Toronto Maple Leafs should forward an offer sheet to blue-liner Jacob Trouba after this season.

Even allowing for the current two-game losing streak, the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to an excellent start this season. And it is clear the backbone of the 6-3-0 record through nine games is an offense which has scored a league-leading 34 goals.

On the flip side, however, the defence is still having issues which were cause for concern even before the 2018-19 campaign began. They are among the more porous blue lines in the NHL as of right now.

With this in mind, it’s never too early to wonder about how the Leafs can improve their defensive situation. Even if it’s with an eye on what the team can do after this season concludes.

Along these lines, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently discussed the likelihood that Jacob Trouba gets offer-sheeted at the end of the 2018-19 season. Of more relevance, LeBrun said the Leafs should be one of the interested teams:

"“This would have to be an offseason thing, because the (Winnipeg) Jets are all in this year, but come this offseason, and the Jets have so many moving parts…I’m targeting Jacob Trouba if I’m the Toronto Maple Leafs, after this season. That would be my number one priority.”More from Toronto Maple LeafsMaple Leafs Rumours: Half of NHL teams interested in Ilya MikheyevToronto Maple Leafs: How to address the goaltender positionLeafs reward Timothy Liljegren with extension after breakout seasonMaple Leafs: Jack Campbell situation becoming increasingly uncertainJason Spezza retires, joins Toronto Maple Leafs front office"

Certainly, you could appreciate if the Leafs do want to forward an offer sheet to Trouba. After all, we’re talking about an all around talented, young blue-liner with intriguing upside.

The 24-year-old is a bona fide top-two pairing for any NHL team, with the build and physicality the Leafs have a strong need for. His cap hit is $5.5 million and he will become a restricted free agent after this season.

Trouba is off to a decent start this campaign, with five assists and a +2 plus/minus rating through eight games. He is averaging 22:06 of ice time, while compiling 14 hits and 12 blocks.

Understandably, people will ask why the Jets would let such a valuable asset leave? In theory, it would be a simple case of matching any offer sheet for the 2012 ninth overall draft pick.

However, as you’d expect in the world of professional sports, this is not a simple case. As LeBrun pointed out, the Jets have a cap crunch coming, which will impact what they do in the lead-up to next season.

The irony in this though, is that the Leafs have a similar situation with their own salary cap. Apart from the fact they still have the William Nylander standoff to resolve, they also have to negotiate extensions for next season with the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Jake Gardiner.

With this in mind, the probability is the Leafs won’t even be in a position to forward an offer sheet to Trouba. And if they are, there is then the question of how competitive it will be, compared to other teams with more cap space.

Of course, we wouldn’t put anything past the Leafs, given how well-run the organisation is these days. However, we still predict they will be unlikely to be in a position to make a realistic run for Trouba during the offseason.

What’s your take on LeBrun’s suggestion? Should the Toronto Maple Leafs offer sheet Trouba or not, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.