Four Winnipeg Jets players that might receive extensions in 2024–2025
The Winnipeg Jets will have six unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and four restricted free agents (RFAs) at the end of the 2024–25 NHL season. Before Nino Niederreiter could become a UFA this season, the Jets re-signed him in early December, so it’s likely that supporters will witness something similar once more. Let’s look at a couple players the Jets might re-sign before the season ends because there are so many pending free agents this year.
Ehlers, Nikolaj
The topic of conversation during the offseason has been Nikolaj Ehlers’ potential stay with the Jets. In 82 games last season, he finished with 61 points after tallying 25 goals and 36 assists. Most fans believed he would be traded before the 2024–25 season began when he made some cryptic comments about a contract extension, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Although it’s difficult to predict if he will re-sign, Jets supporters should take some comfort in the fact that he hasn’t been dealt yet. Ehlers will likely see an increase in ice time under head coach Scott Arniel, which may be sufficient incentive for him to want to stay.
If he continues to perform at this level, he may be looking for a contract worth more than the $6 million a year that he currently has. The Jets should make it a priority to retain him in the long run if they hope to remain competitive, particularly in light of the trade of Rutger McGroarty.
Dylan Samberg
Dylan Samberg, who typically plays on the second pair, is a vital member of the Jets’ defense. It is likely that Samberg will play a bigger part for the squad now that Brenden Dillon is not there. In order to keep their solid defensive core, the Jets will need to hang onto him after he recorded 111 blocked shots in the previous campaign.
Since he is an RFA, the team’s top priority probably isn’t to extend him as soon as possible. His current deal is for $1.4 million year, and he will surely be seeking for a raise if he can continue to play at this caliber. Even still, getting Samberg on a fair contract would be a significant victory for the team this year.
Vilardi Gabriel
With 22 goals in just 47 games during his rookie campaign with the Jets, Gabriel Vilardi made an impression on the team. He was mostly a right wing on the top line alongside Kyle Connor or Ehlers and Mark Scheifele. He’s an RFA like Samberg, so it’s not necessary to resign him just yet, but an extension might be done throughout the season.
Even though his true value is substantially higher, he is coming off a two-year, $3.4 million average annual value (AAV) contract at the completion of the current campaign.
Should he have an even better season, he’ll undoubtedly be asking for a wage increase. But Vilardi has a history of struggling to stay fit; due to his frequent injuries, he has never participated in an NHL season. When all is said and done, it will be interesting to see what Vilardi’s ultimate number is.
Namestnikov, Vladislav
At the end of the current campaign, veteran forward Vladislav Namestnikov is expected to become a UFA. He usually plays on the fourth line, but in the previous season, he saw action on all four lines. With 11 goals and 26 assists towards the end of the 2023–24 season, he reached his highest point total since the 2017–18 campaign, 37.
Namestnikov stands out from the others on this list due to one characteristic: he is inexpensive. He will be coming to the conclusion of a two-year, $2 million AAV contract at the end of the next season. The previous few of his contracts have also all been in the $1 million to $2 million area.
Despite his proven value to the squad, he is only 31 years old and doesn’t produce as much offensive production as many of the other forwards. Even so, it’s rare to find a guy that can line up in almost any forward position. It would be wise for the Jets to sign Namestnikov to a short-term, affordable contract for a few more years, assuming that some of the other, more expensive UFAs are traded or become unrestricted free agents.
The Other Unrestricted Associates
After the 2024–25 season, the Jets will have four unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in Mason Appleton, Alex Iafallo, Axel Jonsson–Fjalby, and Neal Pionk, and two restricted free agents (RFAs) in Morgan Barron and Rasmus Kupari. Barron will probably re-sign, but if the Jets can’t find a spot for him this season, I could see Kupari being traded. Both RFAs are kind of in the air.
Unless they choose to test free agency, I believe the majority of UFAs would need to be open to accepting lower-paying contracts with the organization. Particularly Iafallo and Pionk have large contracts already, so it’s unlikely that the team will extend them for similar money.
If the management puts greater emphasis on giving players like Vilardi and Ehlers raises, some of the more expensive UFAs will probably be off the roster by next summer. In any case, with their pending free agents, the Jets will have their work cut out for them this season.