Jets sign Laine to two-year $13.5M deal; focus on Connor, Byfuglien as regular season looms

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This article was published 27/09/2019 (2171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took a lot longer than anyone wanted. But, in the end, the Winnipeg Jets and Patrik Laine came together on what looks like a win-win deal for both parties.

A two-year bridge contract that will pay the 21-year-old restricted free agent US$6.75 million per season ended a lengthy stalemate on Friday and brought a big sigh of relief to both the organization and its fan base.

For the Jets, they get one of their most feared offensive weapons back in the fold just in the nick of time, with the regular season set to start next week. For Laine, he gets a healthy payday with the prospect of an even bigger ransom just down the road, provided he can take his game to the next level. 

“We’re just starting to scratch the surface of what he actually brings to the table. We’ve got an opportunity here to see it all unfold before our eyes. We’re a team that’s growing, a team that’s maturing… when you’re dealing with an exceptional player like Patrik Laine, those are challenges that excite you,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said on a conference call just a few hours after the impasse ended. 

Jets co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman broke the news to a local audience while speaking at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday.

“Our deal reflects what we think is the best for us. We think Patrik’s got enormous potential. Of that whole group (of other RFAs), nobody’s scored more goals the past three years,” Chipman said to a big round of applause. “Both parties feel like this is a really good arrangement.”

Laine has missed the first two weeks of training camp and has been working out with a pro team in Switzerland. He flew back to Finland on Friday to gather his belongings and will arrive in Winnipeg this weekend to join his teammates, then speak with media on Monday. Although he won’t play in Sunday’s final pre-season game in Minnesota, he should be ready for Thursday’s opener at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. 

Winnipeg was said to be aiming for something around the US$6 million mark, while Laine was reportedly asking for upwards of US$7 million.

Laine has scored 110 goals in his first three NHL seasons, but is coming off his least-productive campaign with 30 goals and 20 assists. That no doubt complicated matters when it came to trying to find his true value, which is why a short-term deal made the most sense, buying both sides some time to see exactly what they have.

“We’re dealing with an elite player here. If you look at his stats and what he’s accomplished at 18, 19, 20 years old, there’s not many players that have done that. That’s the uniqueness of the situation,” said Cheveldayoff.

He wouldn’t reveal what got things moving between himself and Laine’s agent, Mike Liut, after what he admitted were “some twists and turns” along the way.

“When you have something like the beginning of the season around the corner, ultimately everybody wants to play. We would have loved to have this done a month ago… clearly Patrik wanted to get in here,” said Cheveldayoff.

“The nitty gritty details of how it gets to a certain point, those deserve to be private. The final result is something both sides are happy with, and that’s the important thing.”

Unlike other RFAs who have signed bridge deals of three or four years, Laine and the Jets went the shortest route possible. The structure of the deal pays Laine US$6 million this season and US$7.5 million the following year. He will still be a RFA after the 2020-21 season, this time with arbitration rights.

Per terms of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, the qualifying offer to retain Laine’s rights will be US$7.5 million, as it’s based on the final year of the contract.

“We had discussed different things, not only over the course of this year but last year. I think that the marketplace, it’s a changing marketplace you have to try to adapt. For us, we’re obviously dealing with a salary-cap situation here and we have to find different deals for different situations that make some things work,” said Cheveldayoff.  

“When you look at our salary-cap situation, I don’t think it’s too hard to understand. We had only finite dollars to spend, and obviously we had two exceptional players to deal with. The math takes care of itself.”

The other exceptional player would be fellow RFA Kyle Connor, who has also sat out the pre-season without a contract and is training at home in Michigan. Cheveldayoff wouldn’t speculate if Laine’s deal might pave the wheel for movement on that front. 

“We still have some work ahead of us yet, so really as excited as I am, I have to put my work boots back on and keep on grinding,” said Cheveldayoff. 

Chipman also addressed the Connor situation Friday during the luncheon, offering up more hope to the crowd. 

“It’s ongoing. It’s cordial and it’s professional. I think Kyle knows how we value him as a player and as a young man, and I know his agent feels that way. Again, just trying to find that right sweet spot in terms of term and average annual value, and I’m confident we’ll get that one done as well,” he said. 

The Jets are also still reeling from news that defenceman Dustin Byfuglien is considering retirement with two years left on his contract that would pay him US$14 million. He is suspended while he decides whether to keep playing following last year’s injury-plagued season.

“We didn’t see that one coming,” said Chipman.

“I saw Dustin when he arrived (for training camp) and he seemed to be in great spirits, as he usually is. I don’t know what to say about it other than what’s been said. He’s contemplating his future in playing the game of hockey. It certainly has nothing to do with playing hockey here, he’s grown to really love the city and I know his family has and his kids are in school. So, I don’t know how to put it any other way or sugarcoat it. We were surprised to learn that he had come to this point in his career that he wasn’t sure. He’s still not sure and we’re hopeful that that with some time he’s going to find the passion for it soon because he’s a very big part of our organization.”

— with files from Jessica Botelho-Urbanski

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg