Look, I'm fine with Trouba staying. For all the shit he gets and his contract being an overpayment, he still provides things that this team needs on the back-end. It's the exact reason people were interested in Zadorov and Dillon this off-season. My main concern is I don't see a way for this teams defense to improve on what they need to improve upon with Lindgren AND Trouba still here. If we just look at the pairings:
I think we all would like to see an extended look of Miller-Fox on the top-pairing. That just makes sense.
Miller-Fox
That leaves Lindgren, Trouba, Jones and Schneider.
Lindgren and Trouba together should NEVER be a thing apart from PK. So that leaves:
Lindgren-Schneider
Jones-Trouba
This is horrendous. That Lindgren-Schneider pair will get hemmed in their zone and asking a rookie undersized d-man to cover for Trouba when he attempts hits or is aggressive, as he should be, is silly. What needs to happen, at this point, is for Drury to look for a trade that either moves out Lindgren allowing for the acquisition of another LD or trades Lindgren for that LD. Ideally someone who can move the puck.
Again, Trouba sticking around, at this point, for another season will be fine. He's a 4/5 d-man who is overpaid but he provides things teams relish and need. The issue is building defensive pairings that work with both he and Lindgren in the lineup.