After much speculation, the Winnipeg Jets have opted to re-sign Mark Scheifele. The deal is worth an average of $8,500,000 per season, and it goes for seven seasons. Despite Winnipeg’s quick playoff exit at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Scheifele was one of the likely dominoes to fall. Yet, alongside of Connor Hellebucyk, they convinced their stars to stick around long-term.
Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Mark Scheifele
With over a decade of NHL experience with the Jets, top centre Mark Scheifele will be looking towards close to a decade more. Winnipeg drafted Scheifele in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft and he has been a centrepiece of that team for the entirety of his career. Scheifele is a 6′ 3″, 198 lb. centre who plays with an edge. Sometimes, he can play with too much of an edge, but his offensive ability is there. He was an all-star in 2019 and 2020. This past season he set a career-high in goals with 42 and chipped in 26 assists. He led the team in goals while his 32.7 expected goals was second on the team.
What This Means Going Forward
Scheifele is the type of player that teams love to have, and other teams hate to play against. He plays with that edge and pushes the limits but contributes offensively as a top six forward. While this past season was a career best in goals for Scheifele, he has shown routinely that he can be a point producer. If he can control some of his extra-curricular play, he could be a very, very effective player. With Scheifele, you add strength down the middle which is always crucial for any team looking to go far.
Winnipeg was happy to be able to keep him. With Winnipeg in sort of a weird place, re-signing both Scheifele and Hellebucyk means they have a lot to prove. After Hellebucyk’s comments regarding a rebuild, Scheifele likely felt a similar way. Bringing them both back means they have promises to keep. Look for the Jets to build their team towards Cup contention.
Main Photo: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
