The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitration and agreed to terms with defenceman Dylan Samberg on a three-year deal that carries an average annual value of US$5.75 million.
That’s a significant raise from the US$1.4 million Samberg made on his previous deal, but the term is lower than most of the projections anticipated.
The expectation was that given Samberg’s emergence as a top-four blue-liner that plays heavy minutes at five-on-five and the penalty kill that he would sign for a longer term, somewhere in the range of six-to-eight years.
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg (54) can become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 29. (Erin Hooley / The Associated Press files)
Instead, Samberg has chosen to bet on himself and can become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 29.
During his first season playing regularly on the second pair with partner Neal Pionk, Samberg had an outstanding campaign, producing a career-high six goals and 20 points in 60 games while providing high-end defensive play.
He’s a fearless shot-blocker with excellent hockey sense and his ability to kill plays allowed him to increase his playing time by five-and-a-half minutes per game.
While there is certainly some risk for the Jets in not signing Samberg to a longer-term deal, a three-year contract extends their competitive window.
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Samberg was the final restricted free agent for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and company to get done and his arbitration hearing was scheduled for Wednesday morning.
This deal leaves the Jets with just under $4 million of cap space according to Puck Pedia, with a full 23-man roster.
The Jets were able to get new deals done for all three players who filed for arbitration: Samberg and forwards Gabe Vilardi and Morgan Barron, which means Cheveldayoff will continue the process of looking for extensions for captain Adam Lowry and sniper Kyle Connor, both of whom are eligible to be unrestricted free agents on July 1 of 2026.
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Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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