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Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ashton Sautner

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The Winnipeg Jets have announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Ashton Sautner to a one-year two-way contract extension for the 2023-24 season. The 29-year-old has never dressed in an NHL game for the Jets but did dress in 23 NHL games for the Vancouver Canucks over parts of three seasons, putting up three assists while averaging almost 14 minutes a night in ice time.

The Flin Flon, Manitoba native spent last season in his home province with the Manitoba Moose where he posted two goals and ten assists in 68 games. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st but with his extension, he will count $775K against the cap while in the NHL. No word yet on his AHL salary.

Saunter spent his entire junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings and went undrafted before eventually signing with Canucks. He then signed with the Jets last summer as a free agent after spending seven seasons in the Canucks organization mostly in the AHL for the Utica Comets. He spent a season on loan with the Manitoba Moose during the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season as he was able to play in Canada to avoid border restrictions.

He’ll be expected to take a spot in Manitoba’s defense group and could see a call-up to the Jets depending on how the rest of their offseason plays out. Winnipeg could be on the verge of a major re-tool or a rebuild depending on how things shake out with their tradeable assets.

Latest On Blake Wheeler, Jets

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Former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler is set to part ways with his team this summer, and on TSN’s Insider Trading program Pierre LeBrun put that quite succinctly, stating Wheeler “will not be playing for the Jets next season.” But where the two-time All-Star will end up playing next season remains a mystery, as is what exact method will be used to finalize his exit from the Jets. LeBrun reports that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Wheeler’s representation are working collaboratively to find a solution for Wheeler, and potential outcomes include not only a trade or a traditional buyout, but also a combination of both wherein Wheeler is traded to another club and then bought out by his new team.

The Jets have gone down that route with players in the past, such as in 2018 when they sent Joel Armia and draft picks to the Montreal Canadiens so Montreal would buy out the contract of netminder Steve Mason. A Wheeler buyout would cost a team $2.75MM against the cap for the next two seasons, and with the buyout deadline looming next Friday the Jets will need to either come to terms on a Wheeler trade with another club or figure out whether they or another club will be on the hook for Wheeler’s buyout.

Winnipeg Jets Considering Buying Out Blake Wheeler

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The winds of change are reaching hurricane force in Winnipeg. They’re undoubtedly moving on from a pair of core pieces in Connor Hellebuyck and Pierre-Luc Dubois via trade this summer, and now TSN’s Darren Dreger reports another potential trade chip could be headed straight for a buyout – former captain Blake Wheeler.

It’s been a sharp decline in play for the 36-year-old Minnesota product since recording back-to-back 90-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The 2004 fifth-overall pick ranks among the all-time leaders in many Thrashers/Jets franchise stats, suiting up for the franchise in 897 games over 13 seasons. Thinly veiled culture issues have been widely reported on in Winnipeg over the past few seasons, though, which culminated in the team stripping Wheeler of his captaincy last offseason.

Entering the final season of a five-year, $41.25MM contract, Wheeler has both a five-team ’yes’ trade list and a full no-movement clause attached to his deal. Trade discussions started as far back as a year ago, and while they continue to explore the market, their options of moving him for much (or any) value are limited. He did still manage 16 goals and 55 points in 72 games this season, although advanced metrics suggest much of his point production has become the product of his teammates.

He’ll be 37 years old next season, and he’s just no longer at the point of being a top-six forward on a contending team. While he once had a reputation as a capable defensive winger, that’s largely dried up, and he takes more penalties than one would expect, given his style of play. He still has value and skill as a pure passer, but he’s reaching the point where he should be relied upon for around 14 minutes a game instead of the 17 he averaged in Winnipeg last year.

Per CapFriendly, buying out the final season of his $8.25MM cap hit would reduce the cost to $2.75MM in each of the next two seasons, providing $5.5MM in savings in 2023-24.

Connor Hellebuyck, New Jersey Devils Have Mutual Interest

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Mark down the New Jersey Devils as a major player in the Connor Hellebuyck trade sweepstakes, says Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The 30-year-old Vezina-caliber netminder is on the trade block after informing the Winnipeg Jets he won’t sign an extension, and LeBrun says there’s mutual interest between the netminder and the Devils in a long-term agreement. Hellebuyck has gone on a remarkable run since becoming Winnipeg’s starter, leading in the league in either games played or saves made for six straight seasons. The workhorse netminder would be a massive, immediate upgrade on Vitek Vanecek, who did have a solid 2022-23 campaign but can struggle heavily with consistency. LeBrun adds, though, that New Jersey likely won’t pursue a sign-and-trade if Hellebuyck is demanding around $9.5MM on an extension, as previously reported.

Free Agent Focus: Winnipeg Jets

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Free agency is just around the corner and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Winnipeg Jets.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Pierre-Luc Dubois – Whether the Jets like it or not, Dubois is going to be the pending free agent set to have the most consequence on the Jets’ offseason. One year away from hitting unrestricted free agency, the soon-to-be 25-year-old center had a solid season in Winnipeg and has continued to establish himself as a top-six center who plays a valuable, powerful game.

Does he have the profile of a top-of-the-lineup, face-of-the-franchise first-line center? Maybe not, although he has shown the ability to play like one at certain moments, such as the 2019-20 Stanley Cup playoffs.

He’ll certainly get paid like a top-of-the-lineup first-line center, though, with media reports indicating that he’s seeking a long-term deal around the $9MM range.

The issue for Winnipeg is that Dubois has no interest in signing that type of contract for the Jets.

As a result, he’s pretty much guaranteed to be traded this summer. As they have one year of team control over Dubois, the Jets have reduced leverage in any trade negotiation. So, it’s unlikely GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is going to be able to get the type of high-end young player in return for Dubois similar to what he surrendered to acquire him. (He sent Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to the Winnipeg Jets in his original Dubois trade)

That being said, the scarcity of quality top-six centers across the NHL dictates that the Jets still should get a solid return for Dubois, especially if they can sign him to an eight-year extension and then trade him, similar to what the Calgary Flames did last year with Matthew Tkachuk. In any case, it seems the 2016 third-overall pick’s time in Winnipeg is coming to an end.

F Morgan Barron – While Dubois’ maneuvering to work his way out of Winnipeg has soured his reputation among Jets fans, Barron is a player who became more and more of a fan favorite over the course of his rookie NHL season this past year. Now 24 years old, Barron was a trade acquisition from the New York Rangers as part of the Andrew Copp deadline deal last season, and he’s settled in nicely on the Jets.

The former Cornell star has shown himself to be a top-six caliber player in the AHL and this past season moved past that level to spend most of the year as a bottom-six NHLer. He scored 21 points in 70 games and skated over a minute-and-a-half per game on the team’s penalty kill. He’s unlikely to receive any sort of massive pay raise over the $925k cap hit he played on this past year, though it would be no surprise to see him hit or cross the $1MM mark.

While a long-term bet is certainly possible, he’ll likely receive a shorter-term deal with the hope that he can continue to develop his game and unlock some of the promise in his six-foot-four frame.

D Logan Stanley – A hulking six-foot-seven blueliner, Stanley is someone who hasn’t quite unlocked the promise many have projected he’d have due to his combination of size and strength.

The Jets drafted Stanley 18th overall at the 2016 draft and took a patient approach to his development. He first reached the NHL in 2020-21, and has now played a total of 114 games at the NHL level.

While he has had a few promising moments at the game’s highest level, he took a step back this past year, skating in just 19 games and seeing his average ice time decline from 15:39 to 13:43. He’s still not an expensive proposition and unlikely to be in the immediate future, but with promising young left-shot blueliners such as Samberg, Chisholm, and Ville Heinola in their pipeline, one wonders if Stanley has a future in Winnipeg.

D Dylan Samberg – The 24-year-old Samberg concluded his first season as a full-time NHLer in 2022-23, skating in 63 games with an average ice time just a shade under 15 minutes.

Samberg was a regular face on the Jets’ penalty kill and is a well-rounded defense-first defenseman offering size and stability from the back end. He impressed for Team USA at the IIHF Men’s World Championships last month and is likely to remain a regular part of the Jets’ defensive lineup.

If they believe in Samberg’s promise as a long-term NHL blueliner, the Jets could always seek out a long-term pact with Samberg this summer, though it does seem more likely that a shorter-term deal would be the more palatable route in order for Samberg to put another season or more on his NHL resume before really looking to cash in.

Other RFAs: F Kevin Stenlund, F Alex Limoges, D Declan Chisholm, D Leon Gawanke (signed a four-year contract with DEL’s Adler Mannheim), G Arvid Holm.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G David Rittich – Rittich has been a well-traveled backup goalie for the past few seasons, dressing for four teams in three seasons. Now 30 years old, he’s seemingly declined since his early days as a tandem leader for the Calgary Flames, though he did have a bit of a bounce-back season in Winnipeg.

He acquitted himself well on a team used to playing in front of one of the best goalies in the NHL, posting a 2.67 goals-against-average and a .901 save percentage.

Rittich’s advanced metrics were a little bit below average but he went 9-8-1 and is capable of surprises, such as during his run of games to start 2023 where he won three straight starts including an impressive 4-1 road victory in Pittsburgh.

There is some concern to the fact that Rittich lost his final five starts, but at a $900k price tag he provided solid value to the Jets. He provides some degree of insurance thanks to the years on his resume of playing over 40 games, and while he has never quite been a leader on the stat sheet there are far worse backup options to have than Rittich.

He may not receive the $1.25MM he made as a member of the Nashville Predators last year, but another deal around what he made this past season would be a reasonable investment for a team looking for an affordable, experienced option in net.

With Arvid Holm fresh off of an impressive season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and still not waiver eligible for another season, perhaps Rittich spends another year with the Jets.

F Vladislav Namestnikov – A mid-season trade acquisition by Winnipeg, Namestnikov provided secondary scoring, versatility, and valuable veteran experience to the Jets’ lineup. He finished with 10 points in 20 games for the Jets, with nine of those points coming at even strength despite Namestnikov frequently playing on the team’s power play.

If one includes his totals with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Namestnikov had 25 points in 77 games, a totally respectable number for a versatile veteran forward. His improved play as a member of the Jets has likely helped his standing heading into the open market, though even with that improvement in form he could have a difficult path to matching the $2.5MM he earned in 2022-23.

Other UFAs: F Sam Gagner, F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, F Karson Kuhlman, F Saku Maenalanen, D Ashton Sautner, G Mikhail Berdin, G Evan Cormier

Projected Cap Space

The Jets are currently projected to have nearly $13MM in cap space, but that’s not a truly relevant number at this time. That’s because the Jets are widely expected to deal Dubois as well as netminder Connor Hellebuyck, and other highly-priced veterans such as Blake Wheeler could be traded as well. So the financial wiggle room the Jets have is dependent on who they manage to move out and what sort of money Winnipeg takes on as part of those trades.

The Jets have some contracts that lag behind in terms of efficiency, such as the $5.95MM they’re paying Nate Schmidt for the next two seasons, though the inefficiency of the Schmidt deal is somewhat balanced out by the fact that the team is paying point-per-game number-one blueliner Josh Morrissey just $6.25MM on a long-term deal.

Morrissey is actually the only Jet signed beyond 2025-26 season, meaning there’s quite a bit of long-term financial space in Winnipeg. The question of this offseason is whether the Jets will be in a position to devote any of that space to valuable, motivated players who want to commit to Winnipeg for a significant chunk of their playing career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Poll: Where Will Pierre-Luc Dubois Play Next Season?

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During the Stanley Cup Final, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that Pierre-Luc Dubois and his agent had requested a trade from the Winnipeg Jets. This will be the second time Dubois has done that throughout his young career, already having his request granted once after being traded for Patrik Laine back in 2021.

Since being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the former third-overall selection has become a valuable offensive piece for Winnipeg. This season, in a similar fashion to last year, Dubois finished with 27 goals and 36 assists in 73 games played. With plenty of teams in need of depth up the middle of the ice, the Jets could receive a decent haul for Dubois.

A native of the province of Quebec, the probable landing spot for Dubois would be the Montreal Canadiens. A team that is rebuilding through the draft and acquiring prospect capital, Dubois would be a natural fit behind captain Nick Suzuki. The Colorado Avalanche and the Boston Bruins could both use a young second-line center, and Dubois’ style of play would certainly fit both lineups. Lastly, although severely limited by the salary cap, the Los Angeles Kings had an interest in Dubois, dating back to his time in Columbus.

Where do you think Dubois will play next season?

Afternoon Notes: Hellebuyck, Bear, Thompson

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Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic wrote today that Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck is looking for a contract with an average annual value around $9.5MM. LeBrun says that teams looking to trade for the 30-year-old are aware of what Hellebuyck’s camp are seeking in contract negotiations. If Hellebuyck were to get that salary it would put him in the same pay bracket as Tampa Bay Lighting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Hellebuyck was the 2020 Vezina award winner for top goaltender and has a long track record of putting up elite numbers. However, he has had a handful of poor seasons and with teams having just seen the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup with Adin Hill between the pipes, there might be a hesitancy to pay a premium in a trade and an expensive cap hit for a goalie who is on the wrong side of 30. You can’t fault Hellebuyck for asking for the moon as he is nominated once again for the Vezina award after a terrific season in Winnipeg posting a 37-25-2 record with a .920 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV tweeted today that it appears the Vancouver Canucks have had discussions with defenseman Ethan Bear’s representatives about several contract possibilities. The tweet comes on the heels of a conversation with Bear’s agent Jason Davidson who said that they’ve discussed several options, but a one-year deal may be the way to go for the 25-year-old. It’s an interesting idea from Bear’s camp given that the defender is out until December after undergoing shoulder surgery this week. Bear is a year away from unrestricted free agency and the allure of picking his long term destination may be worth the roll of the dice.
  • Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeted today that Bruce Cassidy told reporters that goaltender Logan Thompson is skating and should be 100% by training camp. Thompson started the year as Vegas’ number one goaltender but suffered a lower body injury in February and did not play again. When healthy the 26-year-old posted good numbers going 21-13-3 with a .915 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average. If Thompson is ready to go it could give Vegas leverage in their contract negotiations with pending free agent netminder Adin Hill. Thompson would be a solid fallback option should Hill elect to test the market and move on.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Fabian Wagner

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The Winnipeg Jets announced today that they have signed forward Fabian Wagner to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a cap hit of $858,333. Wagner was Winnipeg’s sixth-round selection in the 2022 NHL entry draft and is currently scheduled to take part in the Jets development camp in early July.

The Nykoping, Sweden native spent this past season back home playing with Linkoping’s junior and SHL teams. In the SHL he was held pointless in 22 games, however for their under-20 squad he put up 11 goals and 22 assists in 33 games. He found less success in the playoffs putting up just a single assist in four games.

At 6’0” and 176 pounds, Wagner is a bit undersized, however he is regarded as an excellent passer and a bit of a playmaker. Scouts also consider him to be patient with the puck and not a player who will try and force a play that isn’t there. He does have some playmaking to his game evidenced by his production as he has averaged around a point a game in the J20 Nationell as well as the World Juniors where he had two goals in four assists in seven games while representing Sweden.

Winnipeg has a lot of veteran forwards in front of Wagner on the depth charts, however depending on how their summer shakes out they could be entering a rebuild which would leave a lot of opportunities for him to make his mark in both the AHL and NHL.  Wagner is likely a longshot to make it to the NHL, but if he can continue to develop his game in the Jets system, he may be able to breakthrough and play a role in Winnipeg’s bottom six. This contract indicates that the Jets are encouraged by the development of one of their late picks from last year’s draft and should give the 19-year-old some confidence when he comes over to North America to begin his professional career.

Snapshots: Flames, Tkachuk, Kings

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Today, the Calgary Flames made the news official, hiring Ryan Huska as their next head coach. It appears, however, that their AHL head coach, Mitch Love, is not entirely enthusiastic about the Flames’ decision. Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reports that although Love still has term left on his current contract with the Flames’ organization, he is open to all options moving forward.

Over the last two seasons, Love has been the head coach of the Stockton Heat, and now the Calgary Wranglers. In 140 games leading the bench, Love has accrued a total record of 96-33-9-3, finishing first in the Pacific Division in both seasons. Last season, he led the Heat to the Western Conference Finals in the Calder Cup playoffs and surprisingly were upset in the Division Finals this year by the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

In speaking with the media this afternoon, new Calgary General Manager, Craig Conroy, had this to say about Love’s situation, “Mitch is going to be a head coach in the NHL, 100%. I don’t question that, nor does he. But it’s all about being in a room with elite athletes with huge contracts, the rinks, the media… it’s a whole different animal when you get to NHL. The pressure that goes along with being a head coach in a Canadian Market when you’re trying to learn on the fly, the refs, the travel… the media… it’s a different beast in the NHL and I think to put him in that situation now wasn’t fair” (Tweet Link).

Conroy does seem to have faith that Love will one day become a head coach at the NHL level but deemed that the pressure in a Canadian market would be too much to handle for the young coach. The question is up in the air for how many General Managers across the league share the same opinion when it comes to Love, which could project him to an assistant coaching role in Calgary in the near future.

Other snapshots:

  • Having missed quite a bit of ice time during the Florida Panthers Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that forward Matthew Tkachuk was not seen at the Panthers’ practice today. Because of the nature of hockey players, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs, it should still be expected for Tkachuk to play in an incredibly important Game 5. Being the deepest the young forward has ever gone through the playoffs, Tkachuk has shown signs of wear and tear throughout the last couple of series.
  • In recent reporting, it has been indicated that center Pierre-Luc Dubois will not sign a new contract with the Winnipeg Jets, and has requested a trade from the team. Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports that the last time Dubois was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Los Angeles Kings finished second to the Jets. It appears that Los Angeles still has quite a bit of interest in bringing Dubois into the mix, but with only a projected $7.3MM in cap space this summer, it will be difficult to sign Dubois to a long-term contract without moving out a significant contract.

 

Connor Hellebuyck Reportedly Unwilling To Sign Extension With Jets

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It’s shaping up to be a summer of potential big change in Winnipeg.  With Pierre-Luc Dubois’ camp indicating that the center does not want to come back next season, one move of note could potentially be made sooner than later.  Meanwhile, it appears Connor Hellebuyck could also be in play as Pierre LeBrun, Eric Duhatschek, and Michael Russo of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the ship has sailed on the idea of the goaltender signing a new contract with the Jets.

The 30-year-old is entering the final season of a six-year, $37MM contract signed back in 2018, one that has worked out quite nicely for Winnipeg.  Hellebuyck has established himself as a premier netminder in the NHL in recent years but finds himself well below the top earners in the NHL – Carey Price ($10.5MM), Sergei Bobrovsky ($10MM), and Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5MM).  That’s expected to change next summer when he’s set to reach unrestricted free agency for the first time.

Hellebuyck led the NHL in games played this season for the fourth time out of the last six years.  Despite the heavy workload, he posted his lowest GAA in five years (2.49) while finishing tied for fourth in SV% (.920).  On top of that, this was the first time since 2017-18 that he didn’t lead the NHL in shots faced and saves, finishing third and second respectively in those categories.  Unfortunately for Winnipeg, he wasn’t as sharp in the playoffs which helped play a role in their quick elimination at the hands of Vegas.

In his exit meeting with the media back in April, Hellebuyck indicated that his primary goal is to go after a Stanley Cup.  Based on this report, the veteran has determined that it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to do so with Winnipeg, especially with the future of several core players in the air.  On top of Dubois, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler are also one year away from unrestricted free agency which means the turnover could come quickly.

There are a few routes that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could elect to take here.  One is to wait out the summer market and go with Hellebuyck between the pipes to start next season with an eye on moving him closer to the trade deadline.  Such an approach isn’t without its risks but if a few teams feel that a goalie of his caliber could be the final piece of the puzzle, there could be a strong bidding war for his services.  At that point, Winnipeg might be more willing to retain salary to help facilitate a swap which would only help his value.  On the flip side, if they’re in contention, they could opt to keep him although the odds of that happening at this point seem fairly low.

Alternatively, if the Jets opt to move him now, they can either move him strictly as a rental or as part of an extend-and-trade agreement where Winnipeg could presumably resume a slightly better return in exchange for allowing the acquiring team to work a new deal out with him.  While there will be some teams interested in both options, there could be others who might prefer Hellebuyck as a strict one-year rental to avoid paying top dollar for a netminder in 2024-25 and beyond.  Similarly, other teams might not want to pay the top price in a swap unless it’s not a one-year rental.  Either way, the interest is certain to be strong.

If Cheveldayoff does opt for a move this summer, it will need to come fairly soon.  While the position player market can sometimes drag out, that typically isn’t the case for goalies as by the time the second day of free agency rolls around, most teams have their goaltenders set while many teams won’t have enough cap room remaining to bring in a pricey contract.  If that holds true, that would mean that the window for a Hellebuyck trade is within the next three weeks.  With a Dubois swap also seeming likely to take place within that timeframe, the Jets are certainly going to be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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