Arbitration Dates Set for Pionk & Copp

We got news!

The Arbitration hearing dates for both forward Andrew Copp and, newly acquired, defenseman Neal Pionk have officially been set.

Copp will meet with Jets on July 21st while Pionk’s hearing will happen on July 24th.

Both players represent useful pieces for Winnipeg’s roster heading into next season.

Copp was a fixture within the team’s bottom 6 last season and is coming off a career year that saw him net 11 goals and 25pts.

Pionk, on the other hand, is new to the team after being acquired from the Rangers in the Jacob Trouba trade last month. The 23-year-old defender played 73 games with New York last season, collecting 26pts in the process. He spent the majority of the year paired up with Marc Staal and averaged 21 minutes per game. Considering the team’s current situation, with the departure of Trouba and Tyler Myers, Pionk will be trusted to carry a heavier workload this coming season.

The Jets shouldn’t have a problem getting either player signed. At the moment they are second in the league in available cap-space, with 22 million to spend.

After Copp and Pionk are signed, the team’s focus will shift to getting Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor signed to extensions.