The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with defenceman Dylan Samberg on a three-year contract worth $5.75 million per season, avoiding arbitration just hours before his hearing was set to begin.

Samberg, 26, gets a significant raise from the $1.4 million cap hit he carried last season. The 6-foot-4 blueliner appeared in 60 games during the 2024–25 campaign, scoring six goals and adding 14 assists while averaging 21:08 of ice time. He added three assists in 13 playoff contests, seeing his average ice time jump to 24:04 during Winnipeg’s second-round run before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars.

The Saginaw, Minnesota native is coming off a two-year, $2.8 million contract. Drafted 43rd overall by the Jets in 2017, Samberg has posted nine goals and 51 points through 216 career NHL games. He also represented the United States at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, helping the team to a fourth-place finish.

With the deal, Winnipeg has now re-signed all three of their restricted free agents who filed for arbitration this summer: Samberg, Gabriel Vilardi, and Morgan Barron. Vilardi was locked up to a six-year deal, while Barron signed a two-year contract worth $3.7 million.

The lone remaining RFA is Rasmus Kupari, who did not file for arbitration despite being eligible. The Finnish forward is now playing overseas with HC Lugano in Switzerland.

The Jets’ off-season has also featured the surprise signing of Jonathan Toews, who returns to the NHL on a bonus-laden deal after a couple of years away from the NHL. The club also added to its forward depth by signing veterans Gustav Nyquist and Tanner Pearson to one-year contracts.

According to PuckPedia, Winnipeg has just under $4 million in remaining cap space, though a portion of that could be reserved for performance bonuses in Toews’ deal, which has a $2 million base but could reach $7 million.

With Samberg now under contract for three more years, the Jets have solidified their top four on the blue line heading into the 2025–26 season. Alongside Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, and his partner Neal Pionk, Winnipeg’s core defensive group is locked in and ready for another full 82-game campaign.