Jacob Trouba is staying in California — but in a new sweater.
The veteran defenceman signed a four-year, $33 million contract with the San Jose Sharks, the team announced on Wednesday.
Trouba had spent the last season-and-a-half with the Anaheim Ducks.
The 32-year-old appeared in 81 games to help the Ducks return to the playoffs this spring, recording 10 goals and 25 assists.
Trouba, of Rochester, Mich., is a 906-game NHL veteran, having also spent time with the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers. He has 84 goals and 274 assists in his career along with 701 penalty minutes.
The move represents another aggressive play by Sharks GM Mike Grier as he tries to kickstart San Jose's build. Earlier in the day, Grier agreed to terms with big winger Mason Marchment on a five-year contract. Now, with Trouba in the fold, the Sharks have added some sandpaper to the back end, too.
Of course, the centre of everything in Northern California is 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini. San Jose has taken pains to insulate the star centre — and the rest of the team's up-and-coming crew — by incorporating seasoned players like Tyler Toffoli, Barclay Goodrow and Kiefer Sherwood. Now, on Day 1 of NHL free agency, San Jose has added two more meaningful players.
It will be interesting to see how things play out long-term with Trouba, a right-shot defenceman, over the course of his time in San Jose. Early in the off-season, the squad acquired right-shooting D-man Michael Kesselring from Buffalo and subsequently signed him to a three-year deal. Then, when the board broke perfectly at the NHL Draft, San Jose added two more righty blue-liners — Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin — to the mix. Neither of those players figure to be on the scene for a while, but they will be knocking on the door before the end of Trouba's deal.
Of course, that's a bridge Grier and the Sharks can cross down the road. In the meantime, San Jose is working hard to build on the momentum it created last year and push for the 2027 post-season.
SJS