The Winnipeg Jets avoided salary arbitration with forward Andrew Ladd on Tuesday, signing him to a five-year, $22-million contract.The 25-year-old Ladd set career highs last season with 29 goals and 59 points in 81 games for the Atlanta Thrashers. He will receive $4 million next season and $4.5 million in each of the four seasons after.The fourth-overall pick in 2004 by the Carolina Hurricanes, Ladd has 208 points and 219 penalty minutes in 402 career games with Carolina, Chicago and Atlanta.
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