NHL Rumours and Update on Winnipeg Jet Sniper’s Contract Talks

Welcome to a Friday edition of NHL Rumours with us here at Last Word On Hockey. Today we travel to the geographic centre of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and check out the Jets. We haven’t talked about the Jets for a while, so it is time. There are some things to be excited for in and around the organization, including hometown hero Jonathan Toews hitting the ice. However, we are here to chat about the contract extension talks on one of their star forwards.

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NHL Rumours and the Winnipeg Jets Contract Negotiations with Sniper

Rumour: Today’s rumour comes from one of the main rumour producers, David Pagnotta, who was on Winnipeg Sports Talk. He made it sound like both sides are optimistic in getting a deal done.

Analysis: In reality, contract talks are simply being proactive. The forward has had a very productive career thus far for the Jets. It makes sense both sides want to keep that relationship strong.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, but we are talking about top-line winger Kyle Connor. Connor is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 campaign. Therefore, Winnipeg and their general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff want to get the deal done. They don’t want the sniper hitting the open market, and get involved in bidding wars. Also, Winnipeg already lost scorer Nikolaj Ehlers this summer, and want to keep their other top players around. However, as per our NHL Rumours, the situations between Ehlers and Connor were and are much different.

What’s the Jets Situation With Kyle Connor

Ehlers had constantly wanted more ice time and power play opportunity. In contrast, a guy like Connor gets all the top ice time. He has no reason to want to find greener pastures. Plus, Winnipeg has been very successful in his time. Now they haven’t necessarily translated that success to the playoffs, but that discussion is for another day.

Statistically, Connor has been a high-end scorer, even back to his first full NHL campaign. Since the 2017-18 campaign, Connor ranks eighth in the NHL with 282 goals. As a note, even his main pivot, Mark Scheifele is 17^th at 246. Point is Connor is a very good scorer, in a very good situation to help him succeed. So, it will be a balancing act to determine a discount for comfortability, but also getting what he deserves.

Connor turns 29 years old in a couple months, and would want something long term. A deal to see him through to the twilight of his career. Given his scoring efficiency, he does command a solid paycheque. But he wants to keep the Jets competitive and not tie their hands. It is also worth keeping in mind that the salary cap will continue to rise. It is thought that it will go upwards of $104 million for next year. As it sits for 2025-26, it is at $95.5 million. As it stands, Winnipeg has about $62 million committed to salaries after this coming season.

Let’s Talk Money

This spending has been somewhat strategic for a couple reasons. First of all, they want to ensure they can resign Connor. Having over $40 million available will more than allow for that to happen. Secondly, they want to be able to decide if this group is the one that will finally bring them post-season success. In any case, Connor is a part of the Jets long-term future. All signs point to him resigning, and the fact he hasn’t yet done so, is no reason for alarm bells to go off. Look for him to command around $9 to 11 million per season, on somewhere between a six or seven year agreement.