The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed restricted free agent forward Mason Appleton to a three-year contract worth $6.5 million. This contract avoids arbitration and carries him through the 2024-25 season.
Mason Appleton and WIN avoid arbitration with a 3 year deal. $2M, then two seasons of $2.25M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 7, 2022
Mason Appleton Signs New Deal With Winnipeg
Over his four-year NHL career, Appleton has played for the Winnipeg Jets and the Seattle Kraken. He has put up 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 career points in 206 career games. Winnipeg originally took him in the sixth round, 168th overall of the 2015 NHL Draft. Seattle took Appleton in the 2021 Expansion Draft, but he was traded back to Winnipeg at the deadline.
Last season he scored eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 68 games. He also added 30 penalty minutes in the 2021-22 campaign. His possession numbers were 47.3 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -2.1.
The 26-year-old was a standout at Michigan State in the NCAA ranks before being drafted by the Jets. He was a consistent scorer with the AHL Manitoba Moose before being called up to the big club in 2018-19. His best season was in 2020-21 when he scored 12 goals and 25 points in 56 games for Winnipeg. He did win the AHL’s Rookie of the Year Award in the 2017-18 season.
The Jets did extend a qualifying offer to Appleton on Monday. This is his second stint with the club after playing 49 games with the expansion Kraken early in the 2021-22 season.
What This Means for the Future
Appleton is looking for a bounce-back season after some struggles in the most recent campaign. He has hit double-digit goals previously and good is a decent depth-scorer.
He can be a solid and useful forward in the middle six of a lineup. The Green Bay, Wis. native has a solid defensive game and can chip in goals once in a while. An improvement in his offensive game would likely gain some more ice time.
First look at Mason Appleton in an #NHLJets jersey 😉#GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/NfDgOymqXp
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 21, 2022
