Headlines

  • Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks
  • Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Henry Thrun
  • Avalanche Sign Josh Manson To Two-Year Extension
  • Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins
  • Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal
  • Golden Knights Beginning To Work Out Jack Eichel Extension
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Winnipeg Jets Extend Sami Niku

October 30, 2020 at 9:10 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Oct 30: The Jets have officially announced the contract, signing Niku to a two-year deal with, as reported, a $725K cap hit.

Oct 29: The Winnipeg Jets have come to terms on a new contract with restricted free agent Sami Niku. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the young defenseman has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries an AAV of $725K, with the 2020-21 minimum $700K in year one and the 2021-22 minimum $750K in year two.

Niku, 24, is exiting his entry-level contract still unsure of his NHL ability and long-term fit in Winnipeg. The 2015 seventh-round pick was a fast-rising prospect who was a force at the pro level in Finland’s Liiga at a young age and looked like he might be ready to take on the NHL. His AHL numbers, especially on offense, continue to show a player with great skill and mobility. The NHL has been an entirely different case though. Niku has struggled to stick with the Jets, playing in just 48 games over three seasons. In that time, he has put up modest offensive totals, but has struggled in other aspects of the game. He contributes little defensively, is prone to turnovers, and has poor possession numbers. The team does not trust him with significant ice time, shelters him from difficult match-ups, and tries to prevent exposure in the defensive end. Yet, his potential for offense continues to entice and Niku’s 2019-20 numbers offered a slight glimmer of hope that his defense may be improving.

Yet, Niku has also served as a fixture on the rumor mill when it comes to potential Winnipeg trades. Signing an affordable, multi-year deal won’t change that, as potential suitors who believe in his upside will be happy to take a two-year gamble. The Jets appear likely to make a trade before next season too. Niku’s signing puts the team over the salary cap based on a projected 23-man roster, including Niku as the eighth defenseman. Even if the club is able to put Bryan Little and his $5.29MM cap hit on Long-Term Injured Reserve, the team still needs to re-sign RFA forward Jack Roslovic. With little flexibility and a blue line that could still use another bona fide top-four member, the Jets could still be dealing and Niku could still wind up elsewhere.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email

AHL| RFA| Winnipeg Jets Jack Roslovic| Salary Cap| Sami Niku

Calgary Flames Seeking Right Side Defenseman
Main
Alex True Loaned To Rungsted Seier Capital
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks

    Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Henry Thrun

    Avalanche Sign Josh Manson To Two-Year Extension

    Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins

    Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal

    Golden Knights Beginning To Work Out Jack Eichel Extension

    Lightning Acquire Sam O’Reilly From Oilers For Isaac Howard

    NHL, NHLPA Ratify Four-Year CBA Extension

    Gavin McKenna To Commit To Penn State

    Tyler Johnson Announces Retirement

    Recent

    West Notes: Sharks, Lord, Prosvetov

    Erik Karlsson Open To Being Traded To A Handful Of Teams

    Minor Transactions: 7/11/25

    Snapshots: Drouin, Hoefenmayer, CBA

    Blues’ First-Rounder Justin Carbonneau Will Return To QMJHL

    Wild Re-Sign Michael Milne

    Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks

    Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

    Jets Re-Sign Isaak Phillips To Two-Year Contract

    Canadiens Still Have Work To Do This Summer

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2025’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents
    • Sam Bennett Rumors
    • Nikolaj Ehlers Rumors
    • Mitch Marner Rumors
    • Marco Rossi Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2025 Free Agent Focus Series
    • 2025 Offseason Checklist Series
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Coaching Staff Directory
    • Draft Pick Tracker 2025
    • Key Offseason Dates
    • Offseason Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version