The San Jose Sharks just landed the biggest defenseman still available in NHL free agency. Jacob Trouba is signing with the Sharks, the team announced, on a four-year contract worth $8.15 million per season.
Trouba had been expected to test the open market after his stint with the Anaheim Ducks. He was traded to Anaheim from the New York Rangers during the 2024-25 season and initially struggled. In 53 games to finish that year, he managed just one goal and seven assists. But this past season he bounced back hard, putting up 10 goals and 25 assists for the Ducks. That tied his career high for goals and marked only the second time since 2018-19 he’d cracked 25 assists.
Drafted ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2012, Trouba spent a year at Michigan before jumping to the NHL for the 2013-14 season. He was a steady 20-point producer from the blue line for years. His best season came in 2018-19 when he scored eight goals and added 42 assists. But he made it clear he wouldn’t re-sign with Winnipeg, and the Jets traded him to the Rangers before the 2019-20 season.
Things never really clicked for Trouba in New York. He had moments but never lived up to the hype or the contract the Rangers gave him. The Ducks took a flier on him midseason two years ago, and after that rough start, he looked more like his old self this year.
Now he’s heading to a Sharks team that’s been rebuilding and is hungry to get back to the playoffs. San Jose hasn’t made the postseason since 2019, and that was the last gasp of the Thornton-Marleau-Couture era. They’ve got young talent like William Smith and Macklin Celebrini coming through the pipeline, plus a few veterans holding things together. Trouba at 32 gives them a legit top-pairing defenseman who can log big minutes and play physical. The Sharks need that kind of presence.
There’s some risk here. Trouba is 31 now, turning 32 next month, and the deal runs through his age-35 season. The AAV is heavy, but that’s the cost of landing a proven guy in free agency when you’re trying to accelerate a rebuild. The Sharks haven’t exactly been a free agent destination lately, so landing Trouba is a real statement.
San Jose still needs more pieces to seriously contend in a tough Pacific Division. Edmonton is loaded. Vegas is always dangerous. Los Angeles is young and fast. But adding Trouba makes them harder to play against, gives their young defensemen someone to learn from, and puts the league on notice that this rebuild has a timeline now.
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