Jacob Trouba's teammates are not closing the door on a possible return

It was already a busy weekend for Jets management with the training camp in full swing when Kurt Overhardt, Jacob Trouba's agent, released a statement saying the Jets defenceman asked for a trade from Winnipeg.

The team's leadership core of Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien made their first appearance at training camp Monday morning after returning from the World Cup of Hockey and they weren't ready to close to the door on a possible return to the team for the young defender.

"It's too bad, we love having Trouby here. You hope to get him back in our room as soon as possible. He's got to ultimately look out for himself. That's part of the business side of this thing that can be a little bit ugly sometimes. As a friend, as a teammate, you wish him all the best in that regard but we miss having him. We want him back," said first-year captain Blake Wheeler.

Trouba was likely going to play alongside the team's top defenceman Dustin Byfuglien and would have seen significant ice time in that role. Byfuglien said Monday that he hadn't heard the news until Monday morning and that it isn't good for the team to be without Trouba.

"It sucks to lose a good guy like that. I mean he's obviously not gone yet but he's not here [with] us right now. He could be here tomorrow, you never know. It's part of the job and we'll see what happens," said Byfuglien.

Mark Scheifele, 23, like Trouba, needed a new contract from the Jets this summer and he put pen to paper in July on a $49-million, eight-year contract. He played with Trouba over the last few weeks for team North America in the World Cup but said the two didn't talk about his contract situation with the Jets.

"It's a tough situation, but that's not really our spot to comment on it. It's something between Jake and his agent and his camp and the Jets organization. So that's something that I don't have much knowledge on. Obviously he's a big part of this team and we hope that he'll be a part of something good here," said Scheifele.

Scheifele added that even though he spent everyday with Trouba at the World Cup, he doesn't think he or any of his teammates will be reaching out to Trouba to persuade him to get a deal done and stay in Winnipeg.

"[He is] a big part of something we're trying to grow here and those are the only things in our mind. He's obviously a good friend of a lot of us and we'll be there to lend a helping hand if he asks for it. But I don't think many guys will reach out and try to pitch him on anything," said Scheifele.

According to the statement released by Overhardt, Trouba wants to be traded to a team where he would be able to line up as one of its top four defencemen on the right side. He also does not want to be asked to play on the left side, out of the position he's accustomed to playing. 

Byfuglien, the Jets' all-star defenceman, has spent time at different points in his career playing rightwing and even a little time playing defence on the left side. He said Monday that he can understand that for Trouba, it may not be as easy to play out of position.

"I've been put all over, it's not easy. You got a position, you've always played a position, it's a lot easier to just stay there and play your normal position," said Byfuglien.

Jets management has known about this request since May and have yet to find a suitor for a potential trade. Trouba will start missing paychecks when the puck drops on the season and if he is unsigned by Dec. 1, under rules in the collective bargaining agreement, he will not be able to play for any team for the rest of the season.