Winnipeg Jets: 3 Defensemen the Jets Should Look to Sign this Offseason

The Winnipeg Jets are in the market for a defenseman this offseason. Here are three free agent defensemen the Winnipeg Jets should look to sign.

As the NHL season comes to a close and the offseason beckons for each franchise, the Winnipeg Jets will start considering which free agents they should try to sign as they look to build a Stanley Cup winning team for the 2021-2022 season.

One thing that was apparent from the 2021 season is that Winnipeg struggled on defense and need to add in that department to become a complete team and Stanley Cup contender.

The Jets front office will definitely be looking to sign a defenseman or two during free agency and here are three defensemen the Jets should target during this offseason period (in no particular order):

3. Mike Reilly

This player will probably get the biggest pay raise out of the three on the list as he played absolutely outstanding last season.

The twenty-seven-year-old, Reilly, started the season with the Ottawa Senators and was subsequently traded to the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline as Boston was gearing up for a postseason run.

Reilly impressed with the Bruins. In 15 regular season games, he had eight assists and amassed a +7 plus/minus. Then in the playoffs, he had four assists in eleven games.

The Chicago, Illinois native does not have a track record of scoring goals, but he is known to be a great passer and picks up many assists. When he was traded this year, Boston inserted him right on the powerplay.

According to Puck Pedia, Reilly is coming off a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $1,500,000.

With five years of NHL experience, Reilly is hitting his true potential and if he does become a free agent, many teams will try and sign him.

Reilly would be a terrific signing for the Winnipeg Jets but may come at a heavy price tag.

2. Jamie Oleksiak

One thing that was lacking on the Jets defense this past season was a veteran physical presence. Logan Stanley played extremely well in his rookie season on Winnipeg’s third pair, but Winnipeg can definitely use a tough defenseman with a good amount of experience to play on a pair with Josh Morrissey or Neal Pionk or even create a shutdown pair with Stanley.

Oleksiak could be the perfect player for the Winnipeg Jets. For starters, the Toronto native is a six-foot-seven-inch 255 pound left shot defenseman with over thirty games of playoff experience.

The former 2011 14th overall selection has not missed a game the past two seasons and is someone who logs a considerable amount of ice time. In the 2021 season, Oleksiak averaged more than twenty minutes of ice time per game.

Oleksiak is a defensive defenseman and is a good penalty killer. Last season was one of his best seasons offensively as he scored six goals and contributed eight assists.

Oleksiak can provide the Jets a new forceful look on their blueline and could give the Jets another great option to shut down opposing goal scorers.