Jets fill net and bolster defence

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This article was published 01/07/2017 (2989 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets made a pair of moves to address some high-priority issues for the club Saturday during the NHL’s free-agent frenzy.

Historically, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t dipped into free agency much since the club arrived from Atlanta in 2011, but he dove in when the buzzer sounded at 11 a.m. CT, officially signing veteran goalie Steve Mason and left-shooting defenceman Dmitry Kulikov to multi-year contracts.

Mason, 29, 6-4, 217 pounds, is a nine-year veteran who had a brilliant start to his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The Oakville, Ont., product, one of the big fish in net on the open market, signed a two-year deal with Winnipeg that carries an average annual value of US$4.1 million.

In 56 games with the Flyers last year, Mason posted a 26-21-8 record, with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Over his career, spanning 463 games (446 starts), Mason has a 2.68 GAA and a .911 SP.

Winnipeg also inked 26-year-old Kulikov, a 6-1, 205-pound blue-liner, to a three-year deal, with an average annual value US$4.33 million. The former first-round pick of Florida played six seasons with the Panthers and then skated with the Buffalo Sabres last season, scoring twice and adding three assists in just 47 games in a season plagued by back issues.

Clubs could begin courting free agents last Sunday at midnight, but no deals could be made official until July 1. Cheveldayoff said the club checked a couple of critical boxes on Canada Day.

“(It’s) an important day, addressing a couple of organizational needs that we had looked at and talked about,” he said Saturday afternoon at Bell MTS Place.

“Throughout the conversations, whether it was with Steve or with Dmitry, the prevailing theme was, we feel we’re ready to try and take the next step here and we want you guys to be a part of it.

“(Players) all have decisions when you get to free agency. You’re not the only team that’s talking to them. They get to take a look at what’s under the hood of every team that does give them a call, and we’re thankful we were able to come to a conclusion on deals on both for them.”

The Jets bought out the final year of veteran defenceman Mark Stuart’s contract Friday to clear salary-cap space and open up a roster spot before Saturday’s signings. Winnipeg’s roster now has a salary cap hit of nearly US$64.4 million, about US$10 million off the ceiling.

Playing in a passionate hockey market and getting a chance to be the go-to guy were the main considerations for joining the Jets, Mason said.

“I look at it as a great opportunity. Every goaltender wants to be a No. 1 goaltender and I think there’s an opportunity here to work with Connor and play lots of hockey. Our goal is going to be able to provide the Jets with some real consistent, strong goaltending. Night in and night out, regardless of who is in the net,” Mason said in a conference call.

“I definitely look at the Winnipeg situation as a spot where I can come in and help a team succeed, have a chance to play some hockey games and meaningful hockey games down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs. Look at the roster, it’s definitely a playoff team in my eyes.

“For me, coming to Winnipeg, playing in front of a sold-out building every single night, I know in the past number of years coming into Winnipeg it’s always been a difficult spot for the opposition to play because of how intense of an atmosphere it is at the MTS Centre.”

Kulikov has played in 507 career NHL games, potting 30 goals and amassing 143 points. He will immediately get slotted into the club’s top-six on defence, possibly playing alongside Tyler Myers or Dustin Byfuglien.

During his seven years with the Panthers, the Russian-born defender logged considerable ice time and played in all situations, a role he’s anxious to reclaim in Winnipeg — particularly offering aid to the Jets’ penalty kill.

“Hopefully, I can take my spot as a steady defenceman playing against other teams’ top lines. I feel like talking to the coaches it will be a really good fit and just playing with great player, I feel like it’s going to be a huge opportunity for me and a huge chance to help out a great team,” Kulikov said.

“They say smart players play on the penalty kill and I consider myself a smart player. I feel like I’ve proven that in Florida. I’ve played on the penalty kill for most of my career in Florida and I enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge of playing against the best players on the other team.”

Mason is expected to split time in the crease with Connor Hellebuyck, who struggled at times last season after being pressed into the role of starter for a young and dynamic, but defensively challenged Winnipeg lineup.

The Jets were one of five teams vying for his services, he said.

Mason, who won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year in 2009 when he played for the Blue Jackets, was looking for a starting gig and found it with Winnipeg, while mentoring Hellebuyck.

Hellebuyck, a 24-year-old product of Commerce, Mich., recently completed his first full season with the Jets. In 56 games, he posted a 26-19-4 record with a 2.89 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and four shutouts.

Mason said he believes the new creasemates can really mesh and, ultimately, help each other.

“That’s the thing, I’ve never met Connor other than playing against him, so there’s obviously going to be a little bit of a feeling-out phase for ourselves and building a relationship. I believe having a good relationship with your goaltending partner is a must, so I think that’s something we’re going to have to start working at right from the start of training camp,” he said.

“I’ve gone through some similar things as Connor may have experienced and I believe I’m someone that can continue to help guide him through the early onset of his career and, hopefully, he’ll find working with me beneficial. I really believe my practice habits are extremely solid and hopefully he can see how I work in practice and maybe he can follow suit and help ourselves get better by pushing one another.”

Mason said he knows centre Bryan Little, as both are represented by agent Anton Thun. He also played with winger Shawn Matthias on Canada’s gold-medal-winning world junior squad in 2008.

Winnipeg now has a pair of former Calder winners on the roster, including Myers, who won the trophy a year after Mason as a member of the Sabres. Mason said he’s a more complete goalie than the one who took the league by storm in 2008-09, recording a league-leading 10 shutouts and a 33-20-7 record.

“I’ve talked about it with the Philadelphia press over the last number of years. They said, ‘Your Calder-winning (season) must be your best year of my career,’ and I really disagree,” he said.

“I really believe my game in the last number of years is 10 times better than it was in my first year. I believe my game has matured. I believe I read the game much better now than I ever did during my time in Columbus. I believe I have a lot to look forward to.”

The Central Division team also signed a pair of depth forwards — centre Michael Sgarbossa and left-winger Buddy Robinson — and minor-league defenceman Cameron Schilling, all to one-year contracts.

In other free agent news, longtime Jets No.1 goalie Ondrej Pavelec signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers to back up netminder Henrik Lundqvist, right-winger Chris Thorburn, who had been with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise since 2007, signed a two-year deal with St. Louis, defenceman Paul Postma is off to the Boston Bruins on a one-year deal and forward Anthony Peluso signed a one-year, two-way deal with Washington.

Meanwhile, enigmatic former Jets forward Alex Burmistrov is poised to head to Vancouver on a one-year deal, while Ron Hainsey, an ex-Winnipeg defenceman who just won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, is joining Toronto on a two-year deal.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPJasonBell