Report: Winnipeg Jets add depth; Sign Matt Fraser and Patrice Cormier to matching two-way deals

The Winnipeg Jets have added depth with the services of Matt Fraser and the re-signing Patrice Cormier. The club announced matching one-year, two-way contracts, with the dollar amount in the NHL coming to 650 thousand over the year.

It was beginning to look like the Manitoba Moose would be fielding a very young team that would struggle a great deal in the competitive American Hockey League. The Jets and Moose will likely have a tonne of players under 21-years-old, many playing pro-level hockey for the first time ever. The two 25-year-olds add some veteran depth for the Moose, with the bonus of some internal competition for the Jets’ fourth line at camp.

Cormier has been a serviceable depth forward for the Winnipeg organization. He has posted a career total of 96 points over 210 AHL games. At the NHL level, Cormier has five points over 50 NHL games. His underlying metrics over his NHL career include a 0.84 point per sixty minute pace, a 46.0 score-adjusted Corsi percentage, and a -2.35 relative Corsi percentage (team percentage with player on ice versus on the bench).

Fraser has moved between the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, and Edmonton Oilers organizations. He has posted 131 points in 181 games over his career in the AHL. At the NHL level, Fraser has 16 points over 87 games. His underlying metrics over his NHL career include a 1.00 point per sixty minute pace, a 47.7 score-adjusted Corsi percentage, and a -1.78 relative Corsi percentage.

Overall these signings are nothing major. These are not players who should be mainstays on a team’s fourth line unless they take major steps forward.

They do however add some grit, toughness, leadership, and depth that will be needed for the Moose with the large influx of youth coming in this year.