The Winnipeg Jets and restricted free agent defenceman Dylan Samberg have come to terms on a 3 year, $17.25M contract extension which will also avoid an arbitration hearing.
The deal comes in just under the wire, as the 26 year old was scheduled to have his hearing Wednesday afternoon. Samberg’s $5.75M AAV is a significant pay raise from his $1.4M he made in 2024-25, and keeps him under team control through 2028.
Originally drafted 43rd overall by the Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Saginaw, MN native has appeared in 216 regular season NHL contests since debuting in 2021. During that time, he’s amassed 51 points (9G, 42A) along with 98 PIMs.
A former star at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Samberg had his most productive postseason to date this spring, tallying 3 assists across 13 contests. A 6’4″ left-shot blue liner, Samberg averaged 21:08 minutes of ice time last season, regularly seeing matchups against opponents top lines.
The deal bridges what seemed to be a massive gap in terms of salary discrepancy between the Jets front office and Samberg’s camp. According to reports, Samberg had filed a figure of $6M per season ahead of arbitration, while the Jets had filed for $2.5M, creating a $3.5M gap.
With contract talks now in the rearview mirror, both sides will look to improve upon their disappointing 2nd round exit from last season.The Jets finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 56-22-4 record and 116 points, clinching the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history. However, they were subsequently eliminated by the Dallas Stars in six games in the second round.
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