Which Winnipeg Jets Contracts are Set to Expire at End of 21-22 Season?
The Winnipeg Jets have a number of contracts that are set to expire at the end of the 2021-2022 season. Here’s a look at those players and their contracts.
The Winnipeg Jets are still not even halfway into the 2021-2022 regular season, but contracts have been a major factor this season with the implications of players added to the COVID-19 protocol, the addition of the taxi squad, and the salary cap.
Although the offseason is a long way away, it is still interesting to look at those players from the Jets who are currently in the last season of the contracts.
First, this article will look at defense and goaltenders who have expiring contracts, and then it will look at unrestricted free agent (“UFA”) forwards and finally end with the restricted free agent (“RFA”) forwards.
3. Defense and Goaltenders
Nathan Beaulieu (UFA)
Beaulieu is currently in the final year of his two-year contract that has an average annual value (“AAV”) of $1,250,000.
The twenty-nine-year-old has fallen down the Jets’ depth chart. The Jets have a handful of younger defensemen who are making the jump to the NHL like Dylan Samberg and Ville Heinola and they have seemed to have jumped ahead of Beaulieu on the depth chart. Also, they have a number of defensemen who are performing extremely well in the minors or juniors and may be on the cusp of making the roster next season. These players include the likes of Declan Chisholm, Leon Gawanke, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Tyrel Bauer.
When you take all of these factors into account, it does not look likely that the Jets will resign Beaulieu. It will be interesting to see if Kevin Cheveldayoff will look to move Beaulieu at the trade deadline.
Prospect Defensemen (Kovacevic, Gawanke, Noiger)- All RFAs
There are three Jets prospect defensemen that will be RFA’s this upcoming offseason. Those defensemen are Johnathan Kovacevic, Leon Gawanke, and Nelson Noiger.
The twenty-five-year-old Noiger is the only one of these three who has played at the NHL level. He played ten games with the Jets during the 2016-2017 season and then one more game during the 2018-2019 season.
Gawanke is having an outstanding season for the Moose and looks to be a top-six defenseman for the Jets in the near future. Gawanke is only twenty-two years old and is currently on his entry-level contract.
Kovacevic signed a one-year two-way deal with Winnipeg this past offseason. He has joined the Moose at the end of the 2018-2019 season and has played each season since in Manitoba.
Eric Comrie (RFA)
Comrie entered into a one-year contract with the Jets with an AAV of $750,000. He has played well so far this season in relief of Connor Hellebuyck and is currently making a great case to be resigned for the 2022-2023 season.
2. Forwards (UFAs)
The Winnipeg Jets have four forwards who are due to be unrestricted free agents during the next offseason.
Andrew Copp
Last offseason, Copp was a restricted free agent and with limited cap space, the Jets front office was able to sign Copp to a one-year deal with an AAV of $3,640,000.
Copp is currently third on the Jets with 26 points and is on pace to have his best career offensive season. There is no doubt that the twenty-seven-year-old will be a highly sought after free agent if the Jets do not resign him.
Paul Stastny
Just like Copp, Stastny’s contract also expired last summer and he was a UFA. The veteran forward took a decrease in pay to join the Jets this season. His contract that he signed in July of 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights and expired at the end of the 2021 season had an AAV of $6,500,000, while his contract for this season is worth 3,750,000.
The thirty-six-year-old Stastny is currently in his sixteenth season in the NHL and he has played in over 1,000 NHL games.
C.J. Suess and Luke Johnson
Both Suess’s and Johnson’s contracts carry an AAV of $750,000. Suess has appeared in three games with Winnipeg this season, while Johnson has yet to get called up.
1. Forwards (RFAs)
It will be extremely interesting to see how the Jets handle their eight RFA forward contracts this offseason.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
When Dubois was traded to the Jets last season, he had two years left on his contract that carried an AAV of $5,000,000.
Dubois performed below expectations in 2021, but he has found his game during this campaign and is currently second on the team in points.
Kristian Vesalainen
The twenty-two-year-old Vesalinen has played in more games this season (32) than any other year during his career. He also registered his first NHL goal this year.
His entry-level contract currently has a cap hit of $894,167.
Jansen Harkins
Harkins has one of the lowest AAVs among players on the Jets’ roster at $725,000. Harkins has been a key figure of Winnipeg’s bottom-six this year and is already at a career season-high in games played. He has three goals and three assists in 35 games.
David Gustafsson
The Jets’ former 2018 second-round draft pick has had some injury problems this season and has only played in two games this season.
The twenty-one-year-old’s current entry-level deal has an AAV of $817,500. In the AHL this season, Gustafsson has seven goals and nine assists in 23 games played.
Evgeny Svechnikov
Svechnikov joined the Winnipeg Jets franchise on a one-year deal during the past offseason and made the Jets’ opening night roster.
His contract has an AAV of $750,000. Svechnikov has played in 32 games this season and has three goals, seven assists, and a plus-four plus/minus.
Jeff Malott, Austin Poganski, Kristian Reichel
The reason why these three players are listed together is because they have not had a huge impact with the Jets during this season and have spent the majority of the year in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose.
Malott and Poganski both joined the Winnipeg Jets’ franchise on one-year contracts during the past offseason, while Reichel’s entry-level contract is expiring.
Poganski’s contract has an AAV of $750,000, while Reichel’s carries an AAV of $752,00, and Malott’s has an AAV of $780,000.
Both Poganski and Reichel have played a handful of games with the Jets, while Malott has yet to play in the NHL this year. Reichel made his NHL debut this season and has found more game time with the Jets since Lowry has been named interim head coach. Poganski is currently leading the Moose in points.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Do you predict that the Winnipeg Jets will resign Andrew Copp and Paul Stastny? Leave your comments below!
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*All Contract Information Provided by Cap Friendly*