April 11: The Jets have made it official, announcing the contracts for both players. They have also signed professional tryouts with the Manitoba Moose for the rest of 2021-22, meaning they can get their feet wet in the AHL.
April 9: According to CapFriendly, the Winnipeg Jets have signed forwards Henri Nikkanen (link) and Daniel Torgersson (link) to three-year, entry-level contracts. Both contracts will begin starting in the 2022-23 season. Because their contracts begin next year, neither player is eligible to play for Winnipeg this season.
Per CapFriendly, Nikkanen’s contract carries a cap hit of $860K, an average annual value of $925K, and is worth $70K at the minor-league level. Nikkanen is an imposing figure on the ice, listed at 6’4″ and 209 pounds, he should be able to use his size up front to make plays for his team. A fourth-round draft pick in 2019 by the Jets, Nikkanen has spent the last four seasons in Finland’s Liiga, playing parts of three seasons with Mikkeli Jukurit and this season with the Lahti Pelicans.
Torgersson’s contract will carry a cap hit of $867.5K and an average annual value of $925K, while paying him $80K per season in the minor leagues. The 20-year-old forward was Winnipeg’s second-round draft pick in 2020, 40th overall, and has spent his entire professional career in Sweden, playing parts of four seasons with Frolunda and Frolunda’s junior team. This season, Torgersson played just one game with Frolunda before being loaned to AIK, where he had 17 points in 40 games.