Jets Sign Tyrel Bauer To Two-Year Deal

According to a team announcement, the Winnipeg Jets have signed defenseman Tyrel Bauer to a two-year, $1.75MM ($875K AAV) contract. The new deal will commence as a two-way contract for the 2026-27 season, before converting to a one-way deal for the 2027-28 season.

Bauer, 24, was a sixth-round pick (164th) of the Jets in the 2020 NHL Draft. He was coming off his second season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, having scored three goals and 17 points in 60 games with a -12 rating.

Despite being named the captain of the Thunderbirds the following season, injuries limited Bauer’s productivity over the next two years. From the beginning of the 2020-21 season to the end of the 2021-22 campaign, Bauer finished his tenure with Seattle having registered only four goals and 17 points in 55 games with a +14 rating.

Still, regardless of the injury concerns, Bauer reached the professional circuit ahead of the 2022-23 season. Since then, he’s only played for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He has had to adjust his game somewhat, sacrificing his offensive output for a more physically engaging, defense-first approach.

In Manitoba, Bauer has managed five goals and 21 points in 214 games throughout the past four years, earning a -28 rating and 401 PIMs. The most problematic aspect of the contract is that the deal becomes a one-way agreement for the 2027-28 season. Unless something dramatically changes, it’s unlikely that Bauer will work his way to the Jets’ blue line in two years.

Even though it’s a one-way deal, this doesn’t mean that Bauer has to be on the NHL roster by any means, or even that he’ll need to clear waivers should they want to send him back to the AHL. However, given that it will be a one-way deal, it guarantees that Bauer will earn an NHL salary for the 2027-28 season, which is a heavy price to pay if he remains a similar defenseman he has been for the last several years.