Outdoorsman Iafallo sticks with Jets

Alex Iafallo’s teammates often joke he’s “the most interesting man in the world.”

“We joke around that he’s the Dos Equis guy… because in the summertime, he goes off the grid and goes camping or is out in his truck,” Dylan DeMelo said on Wednesday morning after the Winnipeg Jets announced Iafallo had signed a three-year contract extension worth US$11 million.

“He’s into fishing, ice fishing. He’s from the Buffalo (New York) area, so I don’t think the cold scares him too much.

“He’s been such a great fit for our team on and off the ice. It was a seamless fit, really. We knew right away how good a player he was.”

Of the many things Iafallo has shown since he was an understated yet important piece of the blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2023, is that he feels right at home in Winnipeg.

That’s part of the reason Iafallo has chosen to forego unrestricted free agency to remain with the Jets for the next three seasons.

“Obviously, I wanted to stay here. Pumped to get it done before playoffs,” Iafallo said on Wednesday before the Jets faced the Anaheim Ducks.

“It’s just amazing. Having so much fun on and off the ice. The team camaraderie and everything that we’ve done this year, we’ve just got to keep building and keep going into playoffs like this. So, I wanted to stay and be a part of it.

“It’s such a great team. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Iafallo is the latest player to commit his future to the organization, which leaves Nikolaj Ehlers and fellow Jets’ forwards Mason Appleton, Brandon Tanev and defencemen Neal Pionk and Haydn Fleury as regulars who can become UFAs on July 1.

Iafallo ending up signing a new contract with an average annual value (US$3.667 million) that is less than his current deal (US$4 million) was paying him warrants further examination.

While it’s true that Iafallo has been used mostly on the fourth line this season, he’s frequently been called upon to move up the lineup, including his current role on the top trio with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor since Gabe Vilardi left the lineup with an upper-body injury on Mar. 23.

Iafallo is incredibly diligent when it comes to the defensive details of the game, yet he’s still been able to be a double-digit goal scorer, even with his ice time reduced by roughly three minutes per game since the days he played on the Kings’ top unit with Anze Kopitar.

He’s also someone who is often first over the boards with the penalty-killing unit and often a member of the second power-play grouping, though he’s up with the top unit these days since both Vilardi and Ehlers are sidelined with injuries.

“He can play up and down your lineup and any line that he’s on, he makes it better,” said DeMelo.

“First line, checking line, whatever. He’s really versatile. Guys love him. A quiet demeanour, but a great guy and we’re just so happy to have him back for another three more fun years with him.

“He’s not going to destroy guys (with hits) out there, but is he ever in the battle and in the thick of things, in the net front, whacking away. He’s got such a good stick and seems to come out with a lot of pucks. He’s a gamer and he’s a heck of a player.”

So does that mean Iafallo took a hometown discount with this new deal?

That’s an interesting theory — and not to be dismissed entirely either.

“He can play up and down your lineup and any line that he’s on, he makes it better.”–Dylan DeMelo

It’s certainly possible that teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets or even the Ducks — to name a few clubs — might have paid Iafallo closer to the US$4 million he’s currently making if he had reached July 1 without a contract.

That’s because the aforementioned teams all have more cap room and would also value the versatility and production of Iafallo, plus be able to provide him with more consistent minutes throughout the top-nine forwards.

However, Iafallo values what the Jets are building, in terms of both the on-ice results and culture.

The Jets know exactly what they’re getting from Iafallo and he knows the opportunity they’ll be providing him.

That’s part of what has helped this hockey marriage flourish.

Since the culture change began with the arrival of Rick Bowness and Scott Arniel as an associate coach in the summer of 2023, the Jets have leaned into the narrative that they want players who want to be here.

That’s been obvious with the extensions signed by Vladislav Namestnikov last month, DeMelo last summer and Nino Niederreiter last season.

“All summer long we get into those free agent situations and the trade deadline, how hard it is for guys to come here,” said Arniel. “We showed and talked to him about his importance to our hockey team now and in the future, he recognizes (it).

“The part, for me, just looking at it — not so much as his coach — he recognizes he’s in a good spot. He’s in a good position. He’s well-used, well-liked. Very popular. Those are all real good things. You don’t know what you’re going to get when you go out to free agency. You may have to start all over again and build again. For him, he likes this situation and we like him, so it’s worked out real well.”

Iafallo also stays in a place he’s enjoyed the exploration of the great outdoors in friendly Manitoba.

“He’s a Buffalo kid who became a surfing dude out in L.A. and he’s a back-country guy here. He’s taken advantage of the places that he’s lived and we love that. We love the fact he loves it here,” said Arniel.

“We have a lot of players that love to take advantage of what’s offered around Winnipeg and Manitoba, so he’s that kind of guy. Whether he’s on the ocean or he’s back in the backwoods, it’s how he spends his off days.”

At the age of 31, being able to get a three-year pact provides Iafallo with stability while the Jets get cost certainty on a player that can move up and down the lineup, at a time when the salary cap is about to rise dramatically.

Ultimately, both the player and the team will benefit over the course of this deal, which sounds like the definition of a win-win situation.

Which was part of the impetus to get the contract signed before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin this weekend.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld