The Winnipeg Jets are now 40 days away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also 63 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, with tickets for the Alumni game on October 24th going on sale to the general public this upcoming Thursday. The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we get closer and closer to the start of the 2026-27 season.

Today marks yet another continuation of a series that I’ve covered the past two off-seasons known as the “goals and expectations” series. This series quickly previews what to expect (and what to hope for) from Jets players in the 2026-27 season. This afternoon’s player is a defender who dealt with a few injuries last season but did what he could to contribute on a nightly basis: Dylan Samberg.

Samberg is one of the handful of Jets players who has been with the organization since being drafted by them back in 2017. Although it took a few seasons for Samberg to make his NHL debut after playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the Manitoba Moose, Samberg made a solid impact in his first NHL action. Samberg’s emergence from a 2nd round draft pick to a top four defender was much welcomed around a time where the Jets were looking from within their organization for impactful defenders.

Samberg’s “breakout” season happened back in the 2023-24 season, where he appeared in 78 games and tallied 18 points. Aside from the points, Samberg’s defensive skills were noticeably better. The Jets promoted Samberg onto the second defense pairing around this season, and he’s stayed in this role pretty much ever since. The past two seasons Samberg has dealt with some injuries, appearing in just 60 and 66 games.

The 27-year old defender will be entering the 2nd year of his current three year contract at a cap hit of $5.75 million. Samberg will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season, but the Jets could look to extend him as early as next season if they continue to see positive progression in his game. Samberg’s cap hit is very reasonable given his role on the Jets, and his next deal could have a little more term as he enters the middle stages of his career.

So what should be the goals and expectations for Samberg next season? Being a more defensive defenceman, Samberg doesn’t need to focus much on his points, but it would be nice to see around 5 goals and 15 assists from him this season. The chemistry with Neal Pionk needs to continue to grow this season, as Samberg and Pionk will both be looking to have bounce back seasons given where they are in their careers and with their current contract situations.

I’ve mentioned before the Samberg plays a similar role to the other Dylan on the Jets, Dylan DeMelo, as the more defensive defenceman on his pairing. Samberg excels in blocking shots, being positionally aware, and shutting down opponents with his physical play. If Samberg does what he does best, it allows his defence partner, Neal Pionk, to play more of an “offensive” defenceman role, creating plays with his puck moving abilities and getting shots on goal whenever possible. Samberg will get the ice time he deserves in this role, and his success will go a long way in the Jets lowering their scoring chances against (and getting more wins) in the 2026-27 season.

The 2026 NHL off-season is quickly wrapping up as we hit late August, and teams will starting hitting the ice for training camps beginning in early September. Stay tuned for more “goals and expectations” articles throughout the rest of August (and early September) as I’ll look at what to expect from 2026-27 Jets players throughout the lineup. Let us know on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials if there’s a certain player you’d like us to cover next!

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