Jets lose Myers, Tanev but re-sign Beaulieu

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This article was published 01/07/2019 (2261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nathan Beaulieu is rolling the dice on his ability to shine with the Winnipeg Jets during the upcoming season and cash in down the road.

The free-agent defenceman agreed to a one-year, US$1 million contract to stay with the Jets.

Winnipeg has lost blue-liner Tyler Myers and forward Brandon Tanev. The unrestricted free agents signed new multimillion-dollar, multi-year contracts with other teams as the league’s free-agent signing period began with a flurry this morning.

Myers signed with the Vancouver Canucks for US$6 million annually for five years, while Tanev agreed to a six-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with an annual average value of US$3.5 million. 

Beaulieu, 26, was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the February trade deadline in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick and had five assists in 18 regular-season games. He did not dress in a first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.

There’s definitely no shortage of playing time for the Jets blue line, with Myers bolting and Ben Chiarot, another urestricted free agent, also likely headed elsewhere.

Beaulieu, a product of Strathroy, Ont., said he’s gambling that accepting a low-cost, short team could pay dividends down the road.

“We were pretty vocal with each other right after the season ended. Both thought it was as good spot for me to be in. Obviously with the cap number and how tight it is these days. For me, it wasn’t about the money. It was more about getting this opportunity to revamp my game and re-establish myself as the player than I think I can become,” said, in a conference call. 

“I’m not a big bettor, but if I’m a betting man I’m going to bet on myself. Talking to (Jets coach) Paul (Maurice) and management, we see at the same level and they see the type of player they think I can become and that I’ve played at in the past. It was more or less being in Winnipeg and getting that opportunity that I feel like I haven’t really had the last couple years.”

Beaulieu is a seven-year NHL veteran, originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (17th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

The 6-2, 200-pound defenceman had a career year in Montreal during the ’16-17 campaign, scoring four goals and adding 24 assists, however, he was dealt to Buffalo for a third-round pick two summers ago and struggled with the Sabres last year. 

When he arrived in Winnipeg, he immediately replaced injured Josh Morrissey on the top defensive unit with Jacob Trouba, who was recently traded to the New York Rangers.

“It was great. I think that’s the biggest thing why I wanted to get this done, I thought I played well and I think they really saw something in me that they can help me with. Obviously with Paul Maurice and having (assistant-coach) Charlie Huddy, it’s a pretty impressive crew,” Beaulieu said. “The short time that I played there, I learned a lot from them. I think they’re really going to take my game to another level.

“This team is in a position where they have a really good opportunity to do some damage in the next couple of years. Me going back into Canada and having that vibe being in that type of market, it was something where I feel I’m built to play in. I wanted to take full advantage of it and showing my commitment to them right away, and it’s something where I think we’ll grow together and it will help me become better.”

Myers had nine goals and 22 assists in 80 games for the Jets last season. The 29-year-old, who came over in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres in 2015, played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets. 

Tanev, a fan-favourite, the Toronto product, had a career year in 2018-19 with 14 goals and 15 assists in Winnipeg. He was also third in the NHL in hits (278).

Winnipeg has 17 players under contract for the upcoming campaign, with a total cap hit of just over US$60 million. The Jets have US$21.3 million in cap space but still need restricted free-agent forwards Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Andrew Copp and defencemen Neal Pionk to ink new deals and also add a couple of depth pieces.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: WFPJasonBell