11:17 a.m.: DeMelo’s deal breaks down as follows, per PuckPedia. It carries a 10-team no-trade list throughout.
2024-25: $5.5MM base salary
2025-26: $5.0MM base salary
2026-27: $5.0MM base salary
2027-28: $4.1MM base salary
10:19 a.m.: The Winnipeg Jets have signed defenseman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year contract extension with an AAV of $4.9MM, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). DeMelo was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
DeMelo, 31, will drive through the majority of his remaining career on this deal, cementing his spot as an evergreen piece of the Jets lineup. Winnipeg traded for DeMelo ahead of the 2020 Trade Deadline, sending a third-round draft pick back to the Ottawa Senators and extending the defender ahead of the 2020-21 season, signing him to a four-year, $12MM contract. He performed well on the deal, recording career-highs in scoring with 27 points last year and then 31 points this season. DeMelo has climbed his way into more and more of a role with strong play, working from an average of 17 minutes of ice time at the start of his deal to nearly 22 minutes this season.
The move to Winnipeg wasn’t the first of DeMelo’s career, having previously been one of the pieces returned to the Ottawa Senators in the legendary Erik Karlsson trade. DeMelo was joined by Joshua Norris, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, and the picks used to select Tim Stutzle, Jamieson Rees, and Zack Ostapchuk. DeMelo went on to play a limited 126 games with the Senators, though he managed a productive 32 points from a second-pair role.
Through nine years in the league and three different teams, DeMelo has totaled 554 games and 144 points. He’s been a staunch defensive presence on second pairings since his debut in 2015 and is now clawing his way into top-line minutes. He’ll look to hang onto that role as he kicks off another long-term deal with the Jets – this time $1.9MM richer than his salary last season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports
Nice to have some good news out of WPG