The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitration with centre Bryan Little, signing him to a 5 year contract worth $23.5 million dollars. The deal carries a cap hit of $4.7 million per season. Little has spent his entire 6 year NHL career with the Jets/Thrashers organization after being taken with Atlanta’s 1st round draft choice, 12th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Little scored 7 goals and 25 assists for 32 points in 48 games with the Jets last season. He enjoyed his best season in 2008-09 with the Thrashers when he scored 31 goals and 20 assists for 51 points. Over his NHL career he has scored 99 goals and 128 assists for 227 career points in 404 career Games.
Little was the Jets top-line centre last season, spending most of the year playing between captain Andrew Ladd, and Blake Wheeler.
“At the end of the day that’s what we want,” Little said of his long term commitment and the attempts at making the Jets into a playoff contender. “If I felt the team was going to struggle for five more years, I wouldn’t have signed that deal.”
The deal is one of many RFA deals the Jets have had to do this off-season. They previously faced 5 potential arbitration hearings but now have just two left in Little’s linemate, Wheeler, and key defender Zach Bogosian.
It has been a busy offseason for the Jets have also added wingers Michal Frolik from the Chicago Blackhawks, and Devin Setogucchi from the Minnesota Wild as they complete their move into the Western Conference’s Central Division next season. They also watched restricted free agent centre Alex Burmistrov sign in the KHL.
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