3-92 \u2013 F\u00a0Owen Martin<\/a>, Spokane (WHL)
5-156 \u2013 F\u00a0Viktor Klingsell<\/a>, Skelleftea (Sweden U20)
6-188 \u2013 D\u00a0Edison Engle<\/a>, Dubuque (USHL)
7-220 \u2013 F\u00a0Jacob Cloutier<\/a>, Saginaw (OHL)<\/p>\n
Boumedienne entered last season as one of the more intriguing blueliners in that he was already getting exposed to college hockey, playing at Boston University.\u00a0 While he held down a regular role, it wasn\u2019t a particularly prominent one which caused him to slide down some rankings.\u00a0 While his output was rather low, he was behind some key offensive defenders so the hope is that over time, Boumedienne will be able to grow that part of his game, helping pave the way for him to become a second-pairing blueliner down the road.\u00a0 While the Jets have strong defensive depth today, their prospect cupboard at that position is a little thinner so he should fill that gap nicely.<\/p>\n
Martin, a Manitoba native, dealt with a fractured foot that cost him a couple of months last season but he was still a productive player with Spokane with 34 points in 39 regular season games, giving his draft stock a boost in the process.\u00a0 More of a two-way player, Martin is probably four seasons away from being NHL-ready.<\/p>\n
The other three players have similar timelines as well.\u00a0 Klingsell was productive in Skelleftea\u2019s junior system but still has to work his way up to the pro ranks over there, a process that will take some time.\u00a0 Engle is expected to move to the OHL next season as a one-and-done player, beginning his college tenure in 2026-27, meaning Winnipeg could hold his rights for up to five seasons.\u00a0 As for Cloutier, he played his first full OHL campaign last season and fared pretty well with 47 points in 67 games.\u00a0 They\u2019ll only have two years to sign him as things stand as the changes to draft rights only change in the next CBA.<\/p>\n
Trade Acquisitions<\/p>\n
While the Jets had a fair amount of roster turnover this offseason, none of it has come from the trade front so far.<\/p>\n
UFA Signings<\/p>\n
D Kale Clague<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)* *-denotes two-way contract Nyquist is coming off a down year, notching just 28 points after putting up a career-high 75 in 2023-24.\u00a0 Still, he\u2019s a middle-six winger who can help deepen the attack while also potentially slotting in on the penalty kill.\u00a0 For one year, it\u2019s a reasonable move, especially if they think his offense will bounce back this season.<\/p>\n Pearson needed a training camp PTO to eventually land a deal with Vegas and became a valuable fourth liner while Koepke was a regular for the first time last year in Boston, adding some physicality to their fourth line.\u00a0 Both players are likely to play similar roles on a new-look fourth line for Winnipeg next season.\u00a0 The remainder of their signings are of the depth variety though a handful of their two-way forwards could plausibly see time with Winnipeg at some point in 2025-26.<\/p>\n RFA Re-Signings<\/p>\n F Morgan Barron<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $3.7MM) *-denotes two-way contract<\/p>\n There was quite a gap to bridge in the arbitration filings between Samberg and the team but they settled on this contract, a deal that buys Winnipeg an extra two years of club control.\u00a0 He\u2019s coming off a breakout year, one that saw him move from being a depth defender to a key part of their top four and their top shutdown option.\u00a0 It\u2019s not always easy to find the proper market value for that type of player but the Jets are banking on Samberg staying at this level moving forward.<\/p>\n Barron is likely to be the lone holdover from the fourth line, a role he has filled for the last couple of seasons after being deployed on the third line a bit more often in 2022-23.\u00a0 A natural center, he has primarily played on the wing since becoming a regular with Winnipeg but it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see him shift over since last year\u2019s fourth line center isn\u2019t with them for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n Departures<\/p>\n F Mason Appleton<\/a> (Detroit<\/a>, two years, $5.8MM) *-denotes two-way contract<\/p>\n Ehlers is the obvious headliner from the group.\u00a0 He had suggested in the past that he felt that he should be getting more ice time given his success when healthy so it wasn\u2019t a shock that he tested the open market although he may have a similar role with Carolina than he had in Winnipeg.\u00a0 When healthy, Ehlers has been a consistent 20-plus goal-scorer and while the Jets added some forward depth, none of their acquisitions are likely to reach that mark, creating a void that\u2019s going to need to be filled by committee.<\/p>\n Appleton wasn\u2019t able to replicate his breakout 36-point effort from 2023-24 despite being a middle-six regular for most of the year.\u00a0 While the two aren\u2019t necessarily the same player stylistically, Nyquist is likely to take his spot on the roster.\u00a0 Tanev was a trade deadline acquisition with an eye on adding some grit to the fourth line.\u00a0 He was decent in that role down the stretch but moved on in free agency with Koepke effectively being his replacement.<\/p>\n Kupari opted to sign overseas in early June, a move that came as some surprise.\u00a0 But clearly, he was looking to play somewhere where he could have more of an offensive opportunity and he\u2019ll get that in Switzerland.\u00a0 He received a two-year deal, one that walks him right to UFA eligibility although Winnipeg issued a qualifying offer to retain his rights in the short term.\u00a0 Jonsson-Fjallby and Toninato didn\u2019t see much NHL action last season but have been among the regular recalls in recent years.\u00a0 Players like Duehr and Di Giuseppe figure to take those spots on the depth chart.<\/p>\n Salary Cap Outlook<\/p>\n By structuring Toews\u2019 contract with $5MM of bonuses and not adding any big-ticket contracts in free agency, Winnipeg is in pretty good shape to start the season with a little over $3.8MM in cap space, per PuckPedia<\/a>.\u00a0 A good chunk of that money could ultimately be used to pay for some of the bonuses that Toews reaches but if the Jets are in contention heading toward the trade deadline, they could instead spend their cap room on win-now help, pushing some of the bonuses onto their 2026-27 cap in the process.\u00a0 Cheveldayoff has left himself some decent wiggle room heading into the season.<\/p>\n Key Questions<\/p>\n Will Winnipeg Move Some Defensive Surplus? With Fleury re-signing just before free agency, Winnipeg fits itself with nine defensemen on one-way contracts.\u00a0 Considering it\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll carry just 12 forwards and nine defenders, something has to give.\u00a0 Ville Heinola<\/a>, their former top prospect, hasn\u2019t played much between injuries and being a waiver-blocked healthy scratch last season but they might get a bit of interest in his services.\u00a0 Logan Stanley<\/a> once had a trade request in play and after five seasons with the Jets, he still hasn\u2019t progressed past being a low-minute third-pairing piece when he\u2019s in the lineup.\u00a0 But, at six-foot-seven, someone would take a flyer on him.\u00a0 If Fleury is eyed as the ideal seventh option, both Heinola and Stanley are on the outside looking in.\u00a0 Will they find a trade for one or try to sneak one through waivers?<\/p>\n
F Walker Duehr<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
F Phillip Di Giuseppe<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
F Samuel Fagemo<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
D Haydn Fleury<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $1.8MM)^
F Cole Koepke<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $1MM)
F Gustav Nyquist<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $3.2MM)
F Tanner Pearson<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $1MM)
G Isaac Poulter<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
F Mason Shaw<\/a> (one year, $775K)*^
F Jonathan Toews<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $2MM plus $5MM in performance incentives)<\/p>\n
^-denotes re-signing<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jonathan-toews-chicago-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Toews was the headliner from this group, agreeing to terms a week and a half before free agency started.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t play at all last season as he recovered from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome so there are some questions about his ability to last the season and if he can fill the second-line center vacancy that has been somewhat of a revolving door in recent years.\u00a0 The bonuses are tied to games played (and some playoff success) which isn\u2019t a shock and hedges their bets in case he\u2019s unable to make it through an 82-game campaign unscathed.\u00a0 Toews had 31 points in 53 games in 2022-23, his last NHL season.\u00a0 If he can produce around that point-per-game rate, he\u2019ll be able to play a key role for them.<\/p>\n
D Tyrel Bauer<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
F Parker Ford<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $1.6MM)*
D Isaak Phillips<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $1.6MM)*
D Dylan Samberg<\/a> (three years<\/a>, $17.25MM)
F Gabriel Vilardi<\/a> (six years<\/a>, $45MM)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_25697541-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Vilardi was the big ticket for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to deal with this summer.\u00a0 The centerpiece of the return for Pierre-Luc Dubois<\/a> last summer, Vilardi had his best season by a significant margin, tallying 27 goals and 34 assists in 71 games during the regular season, setting personal bests across the board including in games played.\u00a0 Two years away from UFA eligibility, the question was would both sides commit to a long-term deal and clearly, they were comfortable doing so.\u00a0 This deal ensures that a key cog of Winnipeg\u2019s forward group is sticking around for the long haul; it\u2019s particularly notable after another key cog departed on the open market last month.<\/p>\n
D Dylan Coghlan<\/a> (Vegas<\/a>, one year, $775K)
G Chris Driedger<\/a> (Chelyabinsk<\/a>, KHL)
F Nikolaj Ehlers<\/a> (Carolina<\/a>, six years, $51MM)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby<\/a> (Brynas<\/a>, SHL)
F Rasmus Kupari<\/a> (Lugano<\/a>, NL)
F Simon Lundmark<\/a> (Tampa Bay<\/a>, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Brandon Tanev<\/a> (Utah<\/a>, three years, $7.5MM)
F Dominic Toninato<\/a> (Chicago<\/a>, two years, $1.7MM)*<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/kyle-connor-jets-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Will Connor Be Extended? Two years ago, Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> and Mark Scheifele<\/a> signed long-term extensions entering the final year of their deals, keeping Winnipeg in a spot to be competitive at a minimum for the long haul.\u00a0 Last year, Ehlers clearly didn\u2019t do the same.\u00a0 What will happen to this year\u2019s core player on an expiring deal, Kyle Connor<\/a>?\u00a0 He has notched at least 30 goals in four straight years and is coming off a season that saw him score 41 goals and 56 assists for a career-best 97 points.\u00a0 A legitimate top-line scorer, Connor appears to be well on his way toward landing a contract with at least a double-digit AAV.\u00a0 The Jets have the cap space to give him that type of deal but will they be able to get it done?<\/p>\n