The Winnipeg Jets have signed Patrik Laine to a two year contract worth $6.75 million a season. This is a really good move for the Jets and should help move the Kyle Connor situation forward as well as they now have some clarity on the cap situation.
Without pulling up comparables, this is a good deal for the Jets and for Laine. Laine will be able to show that last year was an aberration and that he is closer to the player he was in his first two seasons while the Jets are able to protect themselves from paying big money to a player who might not be worth it.
In short, this is a really good move for both sides and I am surprised that it took all summer to come to this very reasonable conclusion. There is nothing remarkable about this contract nor is there anything that makes it look like Laine was itching to come back and took the first deal offered to him.
This should also set the standard for Connor’s contract as it should be about the same as Laine’s. While Connor appears to do more than Laine, he also has played almost exclusively on the top line with Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele while Laine was often with players who were not as good as those two. It is fair to say that Connor should also be bridged for the same reasons that it was right to offer Laine a bridge contract.
The Jets play their final pre-season game on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
