Trouba is made for the wrong era. When he got drafted and then quickly joined the league, scoring was lower... the game catered more toward physicality, defense, goaltending. You might get 1 or 2 players reach the 100 point mark. His 2nd season was the year Benn lead the league and not a single player reached 90 points. He had a lot of hype around him, future top pairing defender... if he was born a few years prior maybe he would've been. Then the game rapidly started pivoting toward speed and skill. The league really started cracking down on physicality. It's like he caught the tail end of the era he was really designed for.
Really as the physicality of the league starts to wane, guys like Trouba, Lindgren, Rempe, etc... they need to be more consistent with the old school stuff. Not mindless, goon shit but legitimate physical play. That's what makes them effective. Remember last year when Trouba blew up Meier in game 7 and half the board was like where the f*** was that all series... or when Trouba ran into Crosby the year prior. Not that you want to see people getting hurt, that's unfortunately a consequence... but those sorts of guys don't really have the skill to warrant being passive with the physical stuff. That's their bread and butter. And there's obviously a human element to the game, that sort of thing stays in the back of players heads... guys like Scott Stevens or Kronwall, you better know when they're on the ice. That level of physicality can be a legitimate deterrent. Players will think twice. That's largely gone now. How many times do you really see a big meaningful hit now? Maybe a handful of times a year. Lindgren has largely been a non-factor in that aspect, likely due to injuries. Unfortunately the inconsistency makes it nothing more than a cute novelty. There should be a level of fear and respect when those guys are on the ice. It's not really a factor when it's not consistent.
