Winnipeg Jets trade Bryan Little’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes
The Winnipeg Jets have traded the contract of forward Bryan Little to the Arizona Coyotes, along with unsigned college prospect Nathan Smith, in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Per @darrendreger, WPG sending rights to unsigned collegian Nathan Smith along with Little’s contract to ARI for a fourth-round pick. Smith was not signing in WPG and eligible to be UFA this summer. https://t.co/CSdyir6iAK
— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 21, 2022Little is currently in the fourth season of a six-year deal that he signed with the Winnipeg Jets with a $5,291,667 cap hit. He hasn’t played since the beginning of the 2019-20 season due to an eardrum injury after being struck in the side of the head by a shot.
Little had spent the entirety of his 13 season NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization. Drafted 12th overall by the Thrashers in 2006, Little played 843 games and had 217 goals and 521 points in his career, including a career-high 31 goals in 2008-09, and a career-high 64 points in 2013-14.
Smith is a center originally chosen in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Jets. He has spent the last three seasons with Minnesota State University in the NCAA and has 18 goals and 49 points in 34 games this season. He also played for the United States Olympic team in Beijing, with a goal and an assist in four games.