Both Jacob Trouba and Toby Enstrom have seen a lot more praise and heard more cheers as members of the Jets, than they have received jeers and criticism. Both represent some of the best play seen from the defensive position since the re-birth of NHL hockey in Winnipeg and today they go head to head in the JetsNation Fan Favourite Tournament.

Trouba was the ninth overall pick by the Jets in the 2012 NHL Draft out of the University of Michigan and made the club at the start of the 2013-14 season.  In his rookie year, he scored 10 goals and had 29 points in 65 games played. Trouba’s career has been defined a lot by his unfortunate injuries but also by tough physical play and a knack for scoring goals with an underrated cannon of a shot from the blue line. But it’s his clouded future with the franchise that hasn’t enabled to allow the entire fan base to give him the same unconditional love they would say a Patrik Laine or Blake Wheeler.

This past season was maybe Trouba’s best yet as he continued to develop into a great two-way defenseman even as he dealt with multiple injuries that limited him to just 55 games.

Toby Enstrom was a carry over from the Atlanta Thrasher years. An eighth round draft pick of the Thrashers back in the 2003 draft, Enstrom made his NHL debut four years later and played all 82 games of the 2007-08 season. The last seven of his 11 seasons with the franchise have been spent in Winnipeg where he hasn’t really ever been known as an offensive threat – just 28 goals in those seven seasons – but has constantly been one of if not the best defending defenseman the Jets have had.

Injuries have taken their toll on Enstrom over the last couple of seasons and this past season ultimately proved to be his final one with an unceremonious healthy scratch in game five against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Enstrom has always been one of the Jets best straight up defenders, but it’s his lack of offensive output along with mistakes made (that quite honestly happen to any defenseman given the nature of the position) that have left critics to question his real ability. In Enstrom case, there is a very real possibility this coming season that Jets fans may truly understand what they had with Toby but are now missing.

Today’s matchup pits one defenseman who no longer has a future with the club against a player who’s future remains in doubt. Both players however have a dedicated fan base that appreciates their talents.