Detroit Red Wings linked to acquiring Michigan Grown enforcer defenseman Jacob Trouba

Steve Yzerman should draw up his plans for next year, as the 2026 free agent class could offer the team some meaningful pieces on the blueline. One of those could be Michigan-born defenseman Jacob Trouba.

The Anaheim Ducks' Jacob Trouba is in the final year of his NHL contract, which pays him $8 million AAV. Trouba was a former Captain in the New York Rangers organization and was shipped to the West Coast on the cusp of a retool.

Trouba was sent to the Ducks after a dismal start to the 2024-25 season, and would arrive in December. Once considered to be an elite defenseman with a 30-40 point ceiling and offering a physical side that punishes opponents, he could benefit from a fresh start.

What better place than home? Trouba held the Captaincy in New York since 2019, and could look back East if things don't work out in Anaheim as he hoped. This could be a great way to sell Trouba on a return to the Eastern Conference.

Trouba could help shelter Jacob Bernard-Docker on the second pairing, giving him a stable role, which Trouba creates terror on the ice, opening up Bernard-Docker to do his best work.

Not only could he be a legitimate mentor to Bernard-Docker, he could benefit from the return home, being closer to his family and his wife, who, as we last knew, was stuck in New York working in a local hospital with a residency.

Trouba's better days have long since passed as his 2018-19 season may not have been a fluke, but he has yet to reach a 50-point season since his last year with the Jets.

Returning home might offer him the kind of confidence boost needed.

Maybe the Ducks could offer a sweetener and retain some salary in order to speed up a move? It's worth exploring.