Nathan Beaulieu took a quick look around the free agent market and realized that his best bet was to stay in Winnipeg. The Jets have announced a two-year extension with the depth defenseman at a $1.25MM AAV. Beaulieu has spent the past season and a half with Winnipeg and will now stay under contract through the 2021-22 season.
Beaulieu, 27, signed a one-year “show me” deal with the Jets last off-season and has now been rewarded with two more seasons. He only played in 38 games and contributed just eight points, but has grown in his defensive awareness and physical play, as evidenced by a career-high in plus/minus and hits per game.
Beaulieu struggled with high expectations in his early days with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, but has finally found a good fit with Winnipeg. However, the Jets have not shown that they are willing to put too much on Bealieu and will still likely add another defenseman or two this off-season.