The Jets announced they’ve signed forwards Walker Duehr, Samuel Fagemo, and goaltender Isaac Poulter to two-way contracts with league-minimum cap hits. They also confirmed previously reported two-way deals for defenseman Kale Clague and winger Phillip Di Giuseppe.
All five players receive $775K cap hits on one-year deals. Clague, Duehr, and Poulter received $475K AHL salaries, Di Giuseppe received a $450K AHL salary, and Fagemo received a $375K AHL salary, per PuckPedia.
The signings of Duehr and Fagemo help Winnipeg replace some of the fringe NHL forward depth they lost when RFA Rasmus Kupari signed overseas. The latter, while being the cheapest, is a high-upside pickup.
Fagemo, 25, was a Group VI UFA after spending all of 2024-25 in the minors with the Kings. He scored 29 goals in 67 games for the Ontario Reign to give him 132 in 268 AHL contests, the most in the league since he turned pro six years ago. For whatever reason, the 2019 second-round pick by L.A. just hasn’t managed to convert that elite minor-league offense into consistent NHL minutes. He only has 21 career games at the top level with Los Angeles and Nashville, posting three goals and an assist while averaging just 9:29 of ice time per game.
He may get an NHL job on a team that appears set to lose a pair of wingers in Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton to free agency as well, although neither has signed a new deal as of yet. The forwards they’ve added thus far in free agency include Cole Koepke, Tanner Pearson, and Jonathan Toews.
Duehr, 27, split last season between the Flames and Sharks after being claimed off waivers. The South Dakota native has topped out as a fine fourth-line piece, totaling 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points with a -14 rating in 92 games for Calgary and San Jose over the past three seasons. He’ll look to compete for a depth spot on Winnipeg’s NHL roster after spending more time than he’d like to in the AHL last year, scoring 28 points in 36 minor-league games with the Flames’ and Sharks’ affiliates.
Poulter will presumably be the third-string goalie on Winnipeg’s depth chart behind Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, replacing Chris Driedger, who signed in Russia. The netminder turns 24 in September and spent his first three professional seasons in the Devils organization, ultimately going non-tendered on Monday to become a UFA. He made 36 appearances for AHL Utica last season, recording a 2.86 GAA, .898 SV%, one shutout, and a 16-13-7 record.