The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed defenseman Dylan Samberg to a three-year deal with a $5.75 million average annual value (AAV). The new contract allowed the sides to narrowly avoid arbitration, which was set for later July 30.
Samberg, who was a restricted free agent (RFA), continued to blossom last season and was arguably the Jets’ most-improved player. Tapped by first-year head coach Scott Arniel for a second-pairing assignment after two seasons on the third pairing, the now 26 year old recorded a career-high 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 60 games and a plus-34 rating in 21:08 of average ice time. He also blocked a career-high 120 shots, showing his fearlessness. He added three assists in 13 playoff games.
Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg Jets (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
His fearlessness caused an injury, as he missed 21 games with a broken foot he suffered when blocking a Steven Stamkos power-play one-timer on Nov. 23 against the Nashville Predators, but returned on Jan. 10 and didn’t miss a beat. Perhaps best illustrating his value on the Jets’ blue line is the fact the team went 45-13-2 with him in the lineup and 11-9-2 without him.
If the sides went to arbitration, the arbitrator would have only been permitted to award a one-year deal, and Samberg being an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer was clearly something Jets’ general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff wanted to avoid. The new deal ensures Samberg will be with the club, and most likely on their top four, through 2027-28 as they continue to search for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
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Samberg was coming off a two-year bridge deal with a $1.4 million AAV he signed in 2023 and was the final RFA on the Jets’ books. Cheveldayoff still has $4.8 million of cap space he could use to sign UFAs before the season or to bring on salary at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
