Watch out for the sophomore Dylan Samberg

We are going through the roster of the Winnipeg Jets with Jets Nation year in reviews! This is an off-season series where we recap a player’s 2023-24 season and preview what the next season might look like for them. Today, I’m looking at the Jets’ young defender, Dylan Samberg.

The 25-year-old defender from Hermantown, Minnesota, had a great second full season in the NHL. He isn’t putting up amazing offensive numbers and might never be more than a 30-point-a-season guy, but he is still doing a lot with the limited time he plays a night. This season, in 78 games, he scored one goal and 17 assists, which was fifth in Jets’ defensive scoring.

He would elevate just about everyone’s defensive game, increasing everyone’s Corsi for % who played at least 200 minutes of ice time with the young defender. He was on the ice for just 23 goals against and on the ice for 36 different goals for. Additionally, he had the third most blocked shots this season with 111.

Samberg’s defensive stats took a step back this past season, but he was playing more penalty kill minutes and went from having 14:55 of ice time to 15:37 of ice time. His Corsi For % went from 47.82% in 2022-23 down to 46.45%. Although he took a step back, he significantly elevated Nate Schmidt’s play. Schmidt had a 39.35% CF% without Schmidt and a 53.04 CF% with Samberg. Schmidt wasn’t the only player to see success with Samberg; according to naturalstatrick.com, every player who played 200 or more minutes with Samberg had an increase to their CF%.

The playoffs were rough for Samberg; he played five games, was a -7, and had zero points. He did spend playoffs playing with three different defenders: Logan Stanley, Nate Schmidt, and Neal Pionk. That was only his second playoff run in the NHL. Although the postseason hasn’t been amazing for him, he will get better.

Samberg is in the Restricted Free Agent part of his career and will be an RFA when his 2.8 million total dollar contract is up at the end of 2024-25. The Jets will continue to take full advantage of a cheaper deal they have him on as the young defender had another outstanding regular season. Depending on how the next season goes for Samberg, he could see a deal signed that is six years long worth five million a year. He will be 26 years old when his current contract is done.

What are you expecting from Samberg next season? I think we are going to see even more from him. If Brenden Dillon isn’t re-signed by the team, he will be a great fit for the second pairing, especially if he can pair with someone who is less chaotic than Neal Pionk. He will probably score three goals and will be sitting close to 25 total points. Additionally, he will be on the first penalty kill and play closer to 1,400 minutes in a full season. He will be a key to the future success of the Winnipeg Jets. Overall, his season gets a B- grading from me.