Byfuglien is taking a personal leave of absence to “ponder his NHL future.”
Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Byfuglien is using the time to ponder his future. McKenzie did not explicitly say that Byfuglien is retiring or gaming back to play, just that he’s contemplating his options and there’s “no timetable” for a decision.
The Jets have signed Josh Morrissey to an eight-year contract extension worth $50 million.
Morrissey set a new career-high in points (31) despite playing in just 59 games in 2019. With Jacob Trouba now in New York, Morrissey is expected to handle the PP2 duties in 2020, which gives him a potential boost in value. He should be viewed as a reserve fantasy defenseman heading into drafts.
Signing
The Jets have re-signed Eric Comrie to a two-year contract.
Comrie spent the entire 2019 season with the Manitoba Moose (AHL), going 25-20-2 with a 2.69 GAA and .917 SV% in 47 games. Comrie has appeared in five career NHL games since 2017 but will open 2020 in Manitoba yet again.
The Jets have signed Gabriel Bourque to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K AAV.
Bourque spent the last three games with the Avalanche, appearing in 55 games a season ago. Bourque has totalled just 19 points (7G / 12A) in 113 games over the last two seasons. Bourque has a chance to crack the Jets fourth-line this fall.
Signing
The Jets have signed Andrew Copp to a two-year contract worth $4.56 million ($2.28M AAV).
Copp was awarded a $2.28M AAV contract by an independent arbitrator and is signed through the 2021 season. Copp missed 13 games last year but had a career-high 11 goals to go along with 14 assists while ranking third among Jets forwards in SH TOI/GM (1:22).
The Jets have signed Neal Pionk to a two-year contract worth $6.0 million ($3.0M AAV).
The Jets acquired Pionk from the Rangers as a part of the Jacob Trouba trade and signed the RFA defenseman to a two-year contract. Pionk had six goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 73 games last season and will likely open the 2020 season on the Jets second or third pairing.
The Jets have re-signed Nelson Nogier to a one-year contract.
Nogier had just nine points (1G / 8A) in 74 games with Manitoba (AHL) last year and has appeared 11 career NHL games since being drafted in the fourth-round in 2014. Nogier will open 2020 with the Moose but could be the first call-up for the Jets blueline.
The Jets have signed Ville Heinola to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Source: Jets 07/15/19, 2:38 pm EST
Source: Jets 07/13/19, 1:21 am EST
Signing
The Jets have signed Mark Letestu to a one-year, two-way deal.
Source: Jim Toth 07/2/19, 6:57 pm EST
The Jets have signed Anthony Bitetto to a one-year, two-way deal.
Source: Ken Wiebe 07/2/19, 6:56 pm EST
The Jets have signed Nathan Beaulieu to a one-year deal worth $1.0M.
With the No.20 Pick in the 2019 NHL Draft the Winnipeg Jets select Ville Heinola.
The Jets have acquired Neal Pionk and the No.20 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft from the Rangers for Jacob Trouba.
Pionk had six goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 73 games with the Rangers in his first full NHL season in 2018-19. Like Trouba, Pionk is also a restricted free agent on July 1st, but will command a lot less money and will allow the Jets to get Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor this offseason. Winnipeg loses a top-pairing defenseman and get a player who looks like nothing more than a third-pairing player with modest offensive-upside.
The Jets have signed Joona Luoto to a three-year deal worth $2.275M ($758.3K AAV).
Luoto played the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League and recorded 16 points (8G / 8A) in 58 games with Tappara Tampere. Luoto and Patrik Laine were teammates for several Tappara teams growing up, including their U18 and U20 teams
The Jets have signed David Gustafsson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Gustafsson was picked in the second-round (No.60 overall) in 2018 and is coming off of his second season in the Swedish Elite League. Gustafsson had two goals and 10 assists (12 points) in 36 games with HV71 and also had three assists in five games while playing with Sweden at the U20 World Juniors.
The Jets have signed JC Lipon to a one-year, $700K extension.
Lipon was selected in the third-round in 2013 but has appeared in just nine career NHL games since. The 25-year-old had 26 points (11G / 15A) in 60 games with Manitoba (AHL) this season and has 166 points (56G / 110A) in 331 career AHL games.
Signing
The Jets have signed Seth Griffith to a one-year, $700K contract extension.
Griffith has bounced around the NHL quite a bit but has been an excellent point producer in the AHL. Griffith led Manitoba (AHL) in points, scoring 16 goals with 41 assists (57 points) in 69 games last season. The Jets have now inked their two leading AHL scorers from a year ago after also signing Logan Shaw last week.
The Jets have signed Andrei Chibisov to a one-year, entry-level contract.
Chibisov, 26, was an undrafted free agent who had seven goals and 13 assists (20 points) in 50 games with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL this season.
Signing
The Jets have signed C.J. Suess to a one-year, two-way contract.
Suess, 25, was a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2014 and played his first full professional season in 2018-19. The American-born forward had just eight goals and four assists (12 points) in 26 games with Manitoba (AHL) this season.
