Two free agents fly Jets coop

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This article was published 01/07/2019 (2260 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tyler Myers is big, Brandon Tanev plays big and their pay hikes were too big for the Winnipeg Jets.

Both are now former members of the team after agreeing to multimillion-dollar, multi-year contracts elsewhere as the NHL free-agent signing period began with a flurry Monday.

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.

The Jets had plenty of opportunity to negotiate new deals with the pair of unrestricted free agents, but those dollars were well beyond the tolerance level of the cap-strapped team.

“When they’re your own players, you have the ability to have conversations long up to that. We kind of knew the parameters of different things and what people were looking for with individual players. You prepare for different things accordingly and you make different decisions as you go,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said.

“Free agency has yielded some good benefits for them, they’ve earned that right. Can’t thank them enough for their time here.”

Myers, a 10-year veteran, had nine goals and 22 assists in 80 games last season.

In parts of five seasons in Winnipeg, he consistently played behind Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien on the right side, moving up only when injuries prompted head coach Paul Maurice to increase the ice time of the towering former NHL rookie of the year (2010).

Speaking with reporters in Vancouver, Myers said accepting life as a third-pairing blue-liner was difficult.

“At times the past couple of years, things got a little frustrating. But we had a great group of guys, and you focus on what you can control,” he said. “At times, we had quite a bit of injuries, and I able to show what I can do in that roll, and I’m excited to do that in Vancouver.”

The 29-year-old came over from Buffalo in the blockbuster trade that sent Evander Kane to the Sabres in 2015. His cap hit during the length of a front-loaded, seven-year deal was US$5.5 million; however, his actual salary in his final season in Winnipeg was US$3 million.

“He’s a big part of the team and he’s going to be missed”
– GM Kevin Cheveldayoff on Brandon Tanev

Myers played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets, and his wife is from the B.C. city. He and his representatives spoke with “two or three teams” during the NHL’s weeklong courting period, but settled on the Canucks.

“Not only am I very excited with where the team is at, you take a look at the jump they made last year, that was exciting for me when making my decision,” he said. “I’m going to be a piece that’s going to try and help them ultimately take the next step forward. So it was very exciting for me in that aspect.

“I wanted it to be a good fit for my family. I’m excited for my wife that we’re close to family.”

Tanev, a fan-favourite, signed with Winnipeg after a four-year U.S. college career and spent three seasons with the Jets, including a career year in 2018-19 with 14 goals and 15 assists. He was also third in the NHL in hits (278), ruffling opponents’ feathers as part of the “TLC” checking line with centre Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp.

He’ll now likely be the most richly compensated of the trio, accepting a significant raise from the US$1.15 million the Jets paid him last season.

Lowry makes just over US$2.9 million, while Copp is a restricted free agent and should command about US$2.5 million.

“Brandon believed in us when he signed as a free agent. I think there was a lot of people (who) looked at him and said, ‘What’s he going to bring to the table?’ Credit to our scouting staff for believing in him. And credit to him for believing in us,” Cheveldayoff said. “We gave him a good opportunity here. He’s a big part of the team and he’s going to be missed. Again, congratulations to him.”

Depth forward Par Lindholm also left as an unrestricted free agent, signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Boston Bruins. He was picked up by the Jets at the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nic Petan and played four regular-season games and a pair of playoff games.

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$21.2 million in cap space but still need restricted free-agent forwards Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Copp and defencemen Neal Pionk to ink new deals, and also add a couple of depth pieces.

Around the league, Winnipeg products Colin Wilson accepted a one-year, US$2.6-million contract to remain with the Colorado Avalanche and Brendan Leipsic signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals at US$700,000.

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell