From the moment the Rangers acquired Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg on June 17, it seemed a foregone conclusion they would sign the (then-impending) restricted free agent defenseman to a seven-year contract worth in the range of $7.5 million-$7.8 million per season and obviate the need for salary arbitration.
Even as late as Tuesday night, when I reported the July 25 date for Trouba’s arbitration date (eligible players routinely file) on Twitter, I wrote, “Would be stunning if it reaches that point.”
But now, I am not so sure it is out of the question. To be clear, I do not expect Trouba to go for a one-year award that would put him in line for 2020 unrestricted free agency, and I still believe he and the Rangers will reach an agreement on a bonus-heavy deal in the above-referenced neighborhood.