Jacob Trouba will remain in California after all as the defenseman signed with the San Jose Sharks on a four-year deal worth $8.25 million annually.
The 32-year-old Trouba came into free agency as a potential target for those teams seeking a veteran top-four defenseman who could also be a presence in their dressing room after playing the majority of the last two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks where he helped them reach the playoffs in 2025-26.
Now the former New York Rangers captain heads to San Jose where he'll be part of the group led by young star forwards Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, among others, to get the Sharks into a playoff spot after missing the postseason by four points.
His arrival also answers a few questions about how the Sharks would approach their defensive options once free agency started.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier had four defensemen who were set to hit free agency in a group that was led by alternate captain Mario Ferraro while Shakir Mukhamadullin was a restricted free agent in need of a new deal.
That process began last week when they made a trade with the Buffalo Sabres to acquire Michael Kesselring and then signed the restricted free agent to a three-year contract worth $4.5 million annually.
Following that move by signing Trouba gives the Sharks a starting point for how they could use the forest of free agency to address their defensive needs.
San Jose now has Sam Dickinson, Dmitry Orlov, Kesselring and Trouba under contract for next season while Mukhamadullin remains under team control. PuckPedia projects the Sharks still have more than $31.165 million in cap space.