Welcome back to the second last edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up and recap the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series is very close to its conclusion, and the full NHL schedule for the 2026-27 season will be announced tomorrow. I’ll continue to look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season and also take a quick look ahead to what the upcoming 2026-27 season may have in store for each player. Tonight’s players are the other Jets defencemen which I’ve not mentioned so far, all of which were regulars or regular depth defencemen in the lineup throughout the season.

Before we begin, the big Jets news of the day was the contract extension announcement for Cole Perfetti. The 24-year old forward was a restricted free agent and was headed for an arbitration hearing, but today Perfetti signed a five-year, $30 million contract to keep him in Winnipeg. Going through the defencemen which I’ve done reviews on already, I’ve only looked at Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Elias Salomonsson. While the Jets had to use around ten different defencemen this year, some played limited games, so we’ll be looking at those that appeared in a notable amount of games, starting with Dylan Samberg.

Samberg had perhaps the best season of his career in the 2024-25 season despite missing 22 games, collecting 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 60 games. Entering this season, Samberg was locked into the second defense pairing on the left side alongside Neal Pionk. Both Samberg and Pionk missed some games due to injury, and Samberg had several other defense partners throughout the season. In 66 games, Samberg scored 1 goal and 13 assists for 14 points. It wasn’t the most noteworthy season for Samberg, and he now prepares for year two of his current three year contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million.

Logan Stanley was a rather surprising success story for the Jets in the 2025-26 season. After a step in the right direction in the 2024-25 season, Stanley followed up his 63 game season (the most in a season in his career) with another season as a reliable third pairing defenceman. In 59 games with the Jets, Stanley scored 9 goals and added 12 assists for 21 points. Stanley had 5 straight seasons with just 1 goal, and this season he seemed to find a sudden scoring touch from the blueline. That scoring touch, along with his physical defensive play style, elevated Stanley’s trade value to a point where the Jets sent Stanley to the Sabres at the trade deadline for a rather good return. Jets fans waited over five years for the former 1st rounder to reach some of his potential, so after a successful season in Winnipeg, Stanley fans will be wishing more success for the current unrestricted free agent.

Neal Pionk didn’t have a very good season, as he dealt with a lower-body injury and an undisclosed injury at the end of the season. The 30-year old defenceman never really “caught his stride” this season, and didn’t look as steady as he usually does in his usual second pairing role alongside Dylan Samberg. Pionk has averaged around 35 points per season in his career, but this season in 51 games Pionk had just 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points. The timing of Pionk’s unsuccessful season is not great, as it was the first year of his new six year contract at $7 million a season. Provided that Pionk is back to full health at the start of the season, Jets fans are confident that Pionk can have a bounce back season, proving that his contract extension was worth it, as he will remain under contract with the Jets until 2031.

Luke Schenn was another defenceman which the Jets traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the Logan Stanley trade. After the Jets acquired Schenn at the 2025 trade deadline from the Predators, the Jets used Schenn as a veteran depth defenceman who provided his leadership and defensive skills in a limited role. This season with the Jets, Schenn started the season as the 6th/7th defenceman, and he found himself in and out of the lineup due to injuries and the emergence of Elias Salomonsson. In 46 games, Schenn scored 1 goal and added 6 assists for 7 points. Schenn was dealt to the Sabres at the trade deadline, where he only played 4 games (and 2 in the playoffs), and he’ll now be on his way to the Vancouver Canucks as he was a unrestricted free agent who signed a new one year deal to continue his long NHL career.

Last but not least is Haydn Fleury, another depth defenceman for the Jets throughout the season. Fleury’s first season with the Jets was the 2024-25 season, where he appeared in 39 games and collected 7 assists while looking comfortable in his role as the “7th defenceman”. This season Fleury started as the 7th or 8th defenceman in the “depth chart”, but his solid played earned him a comfortable spot on the 3rd pairing when there were injuries. Fleury unfortunately suffered a broken nose and a bruised back after crashing into the boards in a game against the Golden Knights, and he missed around two months. In 38 games, Fleury scored 2 goals and added 2 assists for 4 points. Fleury will be back as a valuable depth defenceman with the Jets next season for the second year of his current contract with a cap hit of $950,000.

The 2026 NHL Free Agency pushes forward, as teams continue to explore options for improving their rosters. Stay tuned for the final edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days! There will be just one article left in this series, as the final article will be on players who were traded mid-season or played in a small amount of games as call-ups throughout the season. Also be sure to look out for the Winnipeg Jets full 2026-27 season schedule release on their socials tomorrow afternoon!

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