Subscribe
Follow Us
The Winnipeg Jets have undergone some massive roster renovations this offseason. They lost Nikolaj Ehlers and Brandon Tanev from their Presidents' Trophy-winning team. While they did not make many big additions, they should be bringing back most of their core from last year. The Jets have not signed Dylan Samberg yet, and the two sides have filed for arbitration ahead of Wednesday's hearing.
“We have an arbitration filing for Dylan Samberg,” Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported. “He can only be given a one-year deal as he is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. Jets: $2.5M. Player: $6M. Remember, these filings are strategic and can be settled until the hearing begins.”
Samberg was a key defender for the Jets last year, helping Connor Hellebuyck win the Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy. With Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk locked in long term, Winnipeg has an expensive defensive core. But they have over $10 million in cap space to play with, and Samberg is an important piece.
If Wednesday comes around and Samberg has not signed a long-term extension, it could get ugly between the two sides. The Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman were able to agree on a long-term deal after arbitration started. But those examples are not common.
The Jets should lock Samberg in on a long-term deal now. If they give him a one-year deal, they will only be able to sign him to a seven-year deal, as opposed to the eight years they can give him now. That will bring the cap hit down, as will his lack of scoring numbers from last year.
The Jets struggle to attract big-name free agents to their smaller market. But they have done a solid job keeping their drafted talent in recent years. Samberg should get a long-term extension soon. If not, it could be his last year in Winnipeg.
