The Winnipeg Jets faced questions all summer long regarding the futures of forward Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Both entered the 2023-24 season on expiring contracts. And both are coming off strong seasons. Hellebuyck turned in another elite performance in goal, while Schiefele scored a career-high 42 goals.
Many expected Winnipeg to explore trades for their two stars over the course of the season. Especially if the team found itself out of contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Both players figured to receive top-of-the-market deals when they hit NHL Free Agency next summer.
However, that won't happen now. The Jets signed both Scheifele and Hellebuyck to matching seven-year contract extensions on Monday. This means both players are staying in Winnipeg through the 2030-31 NHL season.
We've already taken a look at Hellebuyck's side of this. So, let's now take a deeper dive into Mark Scheifele's extension, and examine how the deal looks for both the player and the team.
Mark Scheifele stays with Jets
This may have been the best deal Scheifele was going to receive. Even if he'd hit NHL Free Agency next summer, I'm not convinced a top-of-the-market deal for him would look like this. It makes all the sense in the world for the 30-year-old Kitchener native to take this deal.
Scheifele is a good player, and has been for a long time. More importantly, however, he is an incredibly consistent player. The last time he posted less than 60 points in a season was 2015-16. That was also the last time he scored fewer than 20 goals in any one season.
The 30-year-old career-long Jets forward received a payday that reflects this. And like Hellebuyck, he receives control over his future moving forward. Scheifele has a no-movement clause in his deal beginning this season. In July 2027, the no-movement clause becomes a 10-team modified no-trade clause.
Scheifele is receiving a major payday and control as his career enters the twilight years. The Kitchener native has played his entire career for the Jets. And now he can end his career with this team. It's a good deal for Scheifele all around.
Jets extend Mark Scheifele
As for the Jets, things are a bit more complicated. Winnipeg certainly didn't want to lose their longtime star. Especially given the season he just had. But the deal they decided to give him comes with a lot of question marks and risks for me.
Scheifele is incredibly consistent, as I pointed out earlier. And that consistency is something the team should appreciate, without a doubt. However, how much longer can he keep this up? How consistent can he be as he gets older?
And yes, Scheifele did score 42 goals this past season. But it's hard to imagine Scheifele doing that again. He could certainly score 30 or more goals in future seasons. There's no question that the veteran Jets forward has the ability to score at that pace. 40 goals, though? I can't see that.
This is just taking his offensive abilities into question. I haven't gotten into Scheifele's defensive game, which is not exactly the greatest. All of the value brought to the ice by the 30-year-old is in the offensive zone. And while valuing offense is not inherently bad, valuing only offense to the tune of an $8.5 million cap hit for seven seasons can backfire in a big way.
The Jets have playoff aspirations, and that's understandable. Winnipeg likely felt they couldn't lose Scheifele. If they had the opportunity to bring him back, they needed to take it. I can understand things from that perspective to an extent.
However, that doesn't mean this deal brings incredible risk. And that doesn't mean those risks can be ignored. Winnipeg is keeping a top-six center in the fold. But in the same vein, it limits them. It puts a cap on the team's ceiling moving forward. That cap could bring disastrous consequences, especially as Scheifele gets closer to the end of his career.
Grades and final thoughts
Mark Scheifele receives high marks for this deal. He used his leverage to receive one last major payday. The 30-year-old will be paid handsomely to remain with the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2011. He also receives control over his future. If he wants to stay with Winnipeg, he can ensure that happens.
The Jets, however, receive a middle-of-the-road mark. While the terms of this deal are the same as Connor Hellebuyck's, the situations are different. Hellebuyck is a truly elite goaltender in a league bereft of them. Scheifele, on the other hand, is a consistent top-six performer with a better scoring touch than your average top-six player. There is too much risk for this to backfire on the Jets down the line.
Mark Scheifele grade: A+
Winnipeg Jets grade: C+
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