Very talented defenseman and team extremely far apart on contract.

Despite the fact that the general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made it clear he was not looking to trade his talented young RFA defenseman, it may now be one of the few options remaining to him.

In a recent segment of TSN's That's Hockey, Winnipeg Jets' insider Gary Lawless revealed that the Winnipeg Jets and their young defenseman Jacob Trouba are very, very far apart on on a new deal and it's not just a question of term and money.

While those two are certainly a concern, and perhaps even the primary concern in these negotiations, the two sides are also butting heads on another major issue, Trouba's role on the Jets. Lawless reports that Trouba is looking for a top pairing role, one that includes additional time on the power play, clearly viewing himself as an elite NHL defenseman despite coming off a rough season.

You can bet that Trouba's demands regarding a top pairing role come with demands that also focus on top pairing money, and the Jets may not agree, and after last season no one would blame them. Trouba however does remain a core member of that organization, and this puts Cheveldayoff in an incrediblely difficult position.

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