Jets re-sign Kyle Connor to eight-year contract extension
With Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers already off the board after agreeing to contract extensions within the past week, the once-vaunted 2026 unrestricted free agent class has gotten even thinner.
As first reported by Darren Dreger of TSN, the Winnipeg Jets and Kyle Connor have agreed on a long-term contract extension that will pay the star winger $96 million over eight seasons following for an average annual value of $12 million.
I expect the Wpg Jets will officially announce the Kyle Connor extension. 8 years $12 million AAV.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 8, 2025The deal solidifies the presence of an absolutely crucial member of Winnipeg’s core as well as their top goalscorer.
Last summer, the Jets failed to retain Nikolaj Ehlers, who wound up joining the Carolina Hurricanes. Had Connor also walked next July, it would have meant losing an even higher tier of game-breaking talent for nothing.
Connor, a 28-year-old from Michigan, is coming off the most productive season of his career. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft posted a career-high 97 points last year in the form of 41 goals and a career-best 56 assists.
For his career, Connor has produced 284 goals and 298 assists for 582 points in 613 regular season games. He also has 49 career points in 58 postseason appearances after his best playoff showing of his career a year ago.
The 2025-26 season will be the last of his current seven-year contract, which carries a cap hit of $7,142,857. Over the course of that deal, Connor has gone from a promising young talent to a bona fide elite scorer in the league.
The team’s front office has done well to secure long-term commitments from several core players already. Franchise cornerstones Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele are both signed to plus-value deals through 2031, the same year in which defenseman Neal Pionk and forward Gabriel Vilardi are also set to hit unrestricted free agency.