Last week, Dylan Samberg and the Winnipeg Jets beat the buzzer and agreed to a three-year contract extension just hours before Samberg’s arbitration hearing. The deal is worth $17.25 million over three years ($5.75 million average annual value). Per CapWages, the deal represents six percent of the Jets’ cap in 2025-26.
It’s a bit disappointing the contract is a bridge deal, not long-term. This deal potentially walks the shutdown blueliner directly into unrestricted free agency. That brought the price down a bit. However, with the salary cap expected to rise, I don’t think the Jets will have trouble extending
Samberg again in a couple of years. By all accounts, he and his wife are very happy here in Winnipeg.
Samberg really played well last year, in his contract year. When Brendan Dillon left via free agency last summer, Samberg stepped into a second pair on the blue line with Neal Pionk and never looked out of place. In fact, he thrived in that role. He should be a pillar on the Jets blue line for many years to come.
Samberg pairing is set: How about the other two?
With Samberg now signed, the Jets D corps appears to be set going into training camp. I believe barring injuries, the pairing depth chart will be as follows come training camp:
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury – Luke Schenn
Logan Stanley – Colin Miller
Ville Heinola
Third pair jobs up for grabs
The Winnipeg third pairing may be a revolving door throughout the season. If Ville Heinola isn’t traded beforehand, he may be claimed off waivers by another team before clubs set their opening night rosters. In a perfect world, Kevin Cheveldayoff get an alpha top pairing right-handed defenceman to pair with Josh Morrissey.
In the real world, such players are hard to obtain. Secondly, there wasn’t much cap space available. Noah Dobson, a player that fit that role, was acquired recently by the Habs. Montreal had much more cap space to work with.
Blueline prospect Elias Salomonsson is a wild card for the Jets D corps. Salomonsson has already put in one full season with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate. He should knock on the door this season to get a regular spot on the Jets’ NHL roster.
With Samberg deal done, what comes next ?
The next order of business for the Jets is to extend both Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry to long-term deals as they enter the final years of their respective contracts. Early indications are that both players are open to signing extensions with the Jets.
Cheveldayoff may get one or both extensions done before puck drop on the 2025-26 regular season. The new contract would kick in for the 2026-27 campaign, allowing the Jets a year to plan their longer-term cap strategy.
