Jets Sign Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to Matching Seven-Year Extensions

The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to identical seven-year contract extensions worth an average annual value of $8.5 million.

It certainly is a happy Canadian Thanksgiving in Winnipeg. 

The Winnipeg Jets made two massive signings on Monday ahead of the NHL's opening night on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with forward Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck on identical seven-year contract extensions worth an average annual value of $8.5 million, respectively. 

The deals will keep Scheifele and Hellebuyck in Winnipeg through the 2030-31 season and give both players a chance to remain with the same team that drafted them through the entirety of their careers. 

Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina in 2019-20, is coming off another fantastic season in 2022-23, producing a dazzling 37-25-2 record along with four shutouts and a .920 save percentage. For his efforts, Hellebuyck ended up finishing third in voting for the Vezina last season, his fourth top-five finish of his career, and even wound up impressing in the fancy stats areas of the game with a phenomenal 31.1 goals saved above average. 

Schefiele is coming off a career-best season when it comes to goal scoring, racking up a person-high of 42 for the Jets in 2022-23 while chipping in 26 assists for 68 points in 82 games. Scheifele continued to serve as a key piece of the Jets' offensive attack, logging upwards of 20 minutes of average nightly ice time and continuing his role as the focal point of the club's top power-play unit. 

There is certainly a risk to both of these deals. 

Along with Scheifele's defensive lapses, both he and Hellebuyck will be well into their late 30s by the time these deals expire, potentially making them candidates to end their Jets tenures the way Blake Wheeler did, via buyout, if their play dips with age. 

In the present day, however, both Scheifele and Hellebuyck are highly productive NHLers and give the Jets a chance to continue vying for a Stanley Cup over the coming seasons.