The offseason for the 2022-2023 season is already in full swing for the Winnipeg Jets. Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets management team have a jam-packed offseason ahead of them.
The Jets have the draft lottery, the 2022 NHL entry draft, and the start of free agency all on the horizon as they look to assemble a roster that will contend for the Stanley Cup at the end of next season.
Winnipeg has a number of expiring contracts for both restricted free agent (“RFA”) and unrestricted free agent (“UFA”) players that will expire in mid-July if the Jets do not get a deal done with the player before then.
It will be extremely interesting to see how the Jets handle all of these contracts and who they may trade and/or bring in. With the Jets having to sign a number of players this offseason, all of these transactions in anticipation for the 2022-2023 regular season will be listed in this article.
Winnipeg Jets offseason 2022 signings and trade tracker
This article will list each Jets signing or trade during this offseason, with the most recent one listed at the top, and will state the details of the trade or contract information along with years signed for and the average annual value (“AAV”) of their contract:
Tyrel Bauer (May 30)
Winnipeg has reportedly signed defensive defenseman, Tyrel Bauer to a three-year entry-level contract which will have an AAV of $925,000.
Bauer was invited to the Jets minicamp and training camp before the 2021-2022 season on a tryout basis and turned many heads with his performances during his few short days with Winnipeg’s main roster.
He then returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who compete in the WHL, for this season. Currently, Bauer and the Thunderbirds are in the Western Conference Finals.
Oskari Salminen (May 6)
The Jets made their first goaltender signing of the offseason as they signed twenty-two-year-old Oskari Salminen.
The six-foot-four-inch goaltender comes to the Jets as an undrafted prospect and has played his whole career in his home country of Finland.
His contract will run for two seasons, has an AAV of $925,000, and he will be an RFA upon his contract expiring.
Chaz Lucius (May 2)
Winnipeg made an unexpected signing to kick off May when they announced they inked their 2021 first-round draft selection, Chaz Lucius to an entry-level contract.
After featuring for the United States National Development Program, the nineteen-year-old played one season at the collegiate level for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers where he had nine goals and ten assists in 24 games.
Lucius’ first professional contract is an entry-level deal that lasts for three seasons and carries an AAV of $1,325,000. He will become an RFA when his contract expires at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Wyatt Bongiovanni (April 16)
After Quinnipiac University was eliminated from the NCAA national hockey tournament, the Jets signed their undrafted captain, Wyatt Bongiovanni.
Bongiovanni not only led Quinnipiac as their captain but he also led the team in scoring with sixteen goals and eighteen assists during this past season.
Bongiovanni’s contract is an entry-level contract that will be for two seasons and have an AAV of $802,500.
Henri Nikkanen and Daniel Torgersson (April 9)
The Jets started their signings in anticipation of the 2022-2023 season before the 2021-2022 regular season even ended.
The first two signings the Jets made were two European prospects. Winnipeg signed former 2019 fourth-round draft pick, Henri Nikkanen, and 2022 second-round draft pick, Daniel Torgersson to entry-level contracts.
Both of these contracts will be entry-level deals that will expire in three seasons and both carry an AAV of $925,000.
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