A look at all of the moves the Jets have made 3 days into free agency

Night 3 of NHL free agency is in the books. It’s been quite the eventful 3 days, with hundreds of contracts being signed, totaling over $1 billion in value. Oh, and a few trades here and there. I can’t tell what is making teams super eager to get deals done right away this year, but it may have something to do with the salary cap increasing. It’s been a slow start to free agency for the Jets so far, with some signings that’ll improve their depth in all positions. Most Jets fans were likely looking for some more exciting or meaningful transactions, but nonetheless it’s a good time to look back and recap the signings that Cheveldayoff has completed between July 1st – 3rd.

Before I get into the Jets signings, it’s important to note all of the 2023-24 Jets that have signed with new teams for next season. Most of these players were expected to move on from the Jets in free agency, but it’s still a tough thing to look at when you see the big picture of everyone who left.

Tyler Toffoli is headed to San Jose, signing a 4-year, $24 million deal. Laurent Brossoit received a raise, getting himself a 2-year, $6.6 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Toffoli and Brossoit will both get increased roles on teams that are looking to exit the rebuild phase in the coming seasons.

Brenden Dillon is off to New Jersey, inking a 4-year, $12 million contract on a team that’s looking to get back in the playoffs next season. Sean Monahan is reuniting with Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus, getting himself a 5-year, $27.5 million contract. Another reunion will be happening in Florida, where Nate Schmidt signed a 1 year, $800,000 deal to join the Cup champions and former Jets coach Paul Maurice.

With 4 of the 5 Jets notable unrestricted free agents leaving, what does Cheveldayoff and the team have in store to replace and even improve the Jets roster? Turns out, not much yet, and we’re still awaiting what looks like what could be 2 potentially make-or-break trades with Nikolaj Ehlers and Rutger McGroarty, 2 players with uncertain futures with the Jets.

The Jets, after day 3 of free agency, have made 5 signings and 1 re-signing. Beginning with day 1, where the team made 3 moves. As I mentioned before, all 6 of these moves are more-or-less depth moves, but each player could see varying amounts of ice time next season. Beginning with move #1, which was the signing (for the 3rd or 4th time?) of former Jets goalie Eric Comrie. The former Jets 2nd round pick from the 2013 draft returns on a 2 year deal worth an average annual value (AAV) of $825,000.

Comrie will be competing for Hellebuyck’s backup position with the Jets 2nd move of July 1st. Kaapo Kahkonen signed a 1 year, $1 million deal to solidify the Jets trio of goaltenders. The Jets are familiar with Kahkonen’s game, seeing him in action with both the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks. It’ll be interesting to see who ends up winning the backup job, but I have a feeling that we’ll see both of them in net for the Jets at some point in the upcoming season.

The final move of a pretty underwhelming day 1 of free agency saw the Jets re-sign the newly acquired (in March 2024) Colin Miller. The veteran defence, a trade deadline acquisition, signed a 2 year deal with an AAV of $1,500,000. With the departure of Dillon, the Jets will need more depth at defence, and with some younger prospects looking to step into the lineup next season, Miller can be a solid 7th defence. Miller can step in for injuries, or if a young defence is struggling early in the season, and he’ll be that experienced utility guy that the Jets will need at some point next season.

On day 2 the Jets made a move to add some depth at forward. The Jets signed forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan to a 2-year deal worth an AAV of $775,000. The 24-year old and former 2nd round pick played for the Nashville Predators and L.A Kings last season and is the type of player to bring energy in a bottom 6 role.

Fast forward to day 3 of free agency, July 3rd, and the Jets made 2 more depth signings. Beginning up front, the Jets signed Mason Shaw to a 1-year deal worth $775,000. The 25-year old has been in the Minnesota Wild organization since being drafted by them in 2017. Shaw is a depth forward who plays a smart game and can help with his playmaking abilities in a defensive role.

The 6th and final move that the Jets have done so far (post July 1st) was signing defenceman Haydn Fleury. Another 1 year-deal worth $775,000, and like several of the other depth players the Jets signed, it will be a two-way contract as these players will likely split time between the Jets in the NHL and the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. Fleury is a former 7th overall pick in 2014 who has never really lived up to his full potential. After spending last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Fleury will look to help the Jets with his quality skating ability as a big two-way defenceman.

After that signing, night 3 of free agency came to an end, and that is all that the Jets have to show up until tonight. The Jets still have around $6.4 million in cap space according to CapFriendly, so Jets fans shouldn’t be worried that there won’t be any more moves coming up. It appears that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is taking a patient approach this off-season, and rightfully so, as it’s an important off-season for the team. What really matters though, is that as long as the team is ready to compete come opening night, the fans will be ready to see what the team looks like for the 2024-25 season. For now, Jets fans need not panic yet, and we’ll see what happens next in the coming days and weeks of the NHL off-season.