Jets sign free agent Finnish forward
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2019 (2316 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg Jets have once again dipped their toes in European waters in an attempt to add to their talent pool.
Finnish forward Joona Luoto signed a three-year deal with the club on Saturday, which pays him US$758,300 if he plays in the NHL. Financial terms of the two-way deal, should he play in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, were not disclosed.
Luoto, 21, has played the past three seasons in Liiga with Tappara and will be reuniting in the organization with both Patrik Laine and Kristian Vesalainen. He and Laine were teammates with several Finnish teams growing up, and he and Vesalainen played together on the Finland team at the 2017 World Junior Championship.
Luoto, 6-2 and 185 pounds, had eight goals and eight assists in 58 games with Tappara last season, and added two goals and two assists in 11 playoff games. He is a left-shot who has been playing right wing.
This is the second time this spring the Jets have gone overseas to ink a free agent. Russian winger Andrei Chibisov signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this month. The 26-year-old has spent the past five years playing in the KHL.
It’s no secret the Jets are facing a salary-cap crunch for the coming season, so finding a way to add to the organizational depth without breaking the bank is key. Notable restricted free agents who need new contracts include Laine, Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp and Jacob Trouba.
In Trouba’s case, there’s a good chance he could be traded by next weekend’s NHL draft.
The Jets also have several unrestricted free agents they may wish to make a last-ditch attempt to retain prior to July 1, including Tyler Myers, Brandon Tanev and Ben Chiarot. But finding enough money to fit everyone in under what’s expected to be an US$83-million cap next season will be the difficult part.
All of which is going to make for a very interesting, and potentially busy, couple of weeks in Winnipeg.
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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History
Updated on Saturday, June 15, 2019 11:35 PM CDT: Edited