Jacob Trouba signs monster deal with the ennemy

Jacob Trouba is leaving Anaheim behind, signing with the San Jose Sharks, a direct Pacific Division rival of the team he just walked away from.

Elliotte Friedman broke the news Wednesday afternoon. Trouba's new deal runs four years at $8.25 million per season, a straight $33 million commitment from Mike Grier's front office.

The 32-year-old defenseman just wrapped a season in Anaheim where he posted 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points across 81 games.

He also went minus-1 on the year, hardly the number a team wants from a veteran blueliner making top-pair money.

Anaheim's season didn't end when the calendar hit April, either. Trouba suited up for 12 playoff games with the Ducks, managing just one goal and one point.

That's a quiet finish for a player about to cash a fresh four-year deal elsewhere.

And here's the part that stings in Anaheim: the Ducks and Sharks aren't just conference rivals, they're both fighting in the same Pacific Division basement race.

Why the Sharks just won the Trouba sweepstakes over the Ducks

Anaheim finished 43-33-6 for 92 points, good for 17th overall and third in the Pacific. San Jose landed at 39-35-8 for 86 points, 22nd overall and fifth in the division.

Neither club is exactly thriving. But San Jose already had Trouba's number this season, taking the season series 2-1-1 against the team that just employed him.

Ryan Warsofsky now gets a physical, experienced rearguard to plug into a Sharks blue line that's still finding its footing. Joel Quenneville, on the other hand, watches a veteran presence walk out the door and straight into a divisional fistfight.

Is this a good value swing for Grier? That's the question worth asking before anyone celebrates in San Jose.

Trouba's underlying numbers with Anaheim weren't screaming top-four minutes anymore. Paying $8.25 million annually for a 32-year-old coming off a minus-1 season and a scoreless playoff stretch feels like a bet on reputation more than recent production.

It's a bit like a team trading for a veteran quarterback whose arm strength is fading but whose locker room presence still sells tickets. Sometimes that bet pays off. Sometimes it just pays.

Grier clearly wanted size and experience on the back end, and he got it without a trade, without giving up an asset, just a check.

Anaheim now has to replace a top-four defender heading into an offseason that already carries plenty of roster questions. San Jose has to figure out how Trouba fits alongside whatever else Grier builds around him.