Jets Agree To Three-Year ELC With Patrik Laine

After selecting Finnish forward Patrik Laine second overall in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg Jets have inked him to a three-year entry level contract, according to a team release.  TSN’s Rick Ralph adds that the deal will pay Laine an AAV of $3.575MM, though will only carry the maximum $925K cap hit.  Chris Johnston of Sportsnet breaks it down even further, telling us that the contract carries the maximum $850K Schedule A bonus, and $1.8MM of Schedule B bonuses.

After scoring 17 goals and 33 points among professional hockey players in Finland’s Elite League, Laine will make his journey across the pond to the NHL this season, as he’s expected to break camp with the team as an 18 year old.  Laine has been compared to some of the game’s elite goal scoring wingers in the past, and has a chance to immediately impact a Winnipeg Jets team who scored just 215 times last season.

Laine is the second of the top three picks to sign his entry-level deal, as Pierre-Luc Dubois has already agreed to terms with the Columbus Blue Jackets for $3.425MM per season.  This leaves Auston Matthews left to sign his deal with the Maple Leafs, which should come in at a similar number, as $3.775 is the maximum allowable for an entry-level contract.