The Longer They Wait, The Higher Jets' Dylan Samberg's Price Tag Goes
The Winnipeg Jets are a significantly better team with Dylan Samberg in the lineup, and the longer they wait to sign him, the higher his price tag goes.
The Winnipeg Jets are a significantly better team with Dylan Samberg in the lineup, and the longer they wait to sign him, the higher his price tag goes.
While Samberg was out with a broken foot, the Jets went through their first and only rough patch of the season. It didn't span the entire period Samberg was out, but the quality of play had taken a step down from what it was before and after Samberg got hurt.
The 26-year-old defenseman has scored four goals and 12 points this season, averaging a career-high 20:53 of ice time and being a +21 on the season. His remarkable on-ice results have also translated to the Jets' record. The Jets are 26-6-1 with Samberg in the lineup, and he was once again one of the best players on the ice against the top Eastern Conference team on Saturday.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Samberg leads the Jets in Corsi percentage (54.97%), Fenwick percentage (56.28%), shots for percentage (57.06%), scoring chances for percentage (55.24%), and he's also second in expected goals percentage (56.21%) at 5-on-5.
The Jets outscore their opponents 31-20, and a large portion of the time he spends at even-strength is matching up against the opponents' best players. He's also a vital penalty killer, playing the fifth most minutes on the penalty kill despite missing 21 games this season.
On Jan. 24, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Samberg had changed agents but that there was no cause for concern about whether he would be looking to leave the organization. Prior to the agent change, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Jets had not undergone any contract negations with any of their pending free agents, including Samberg, but could begin preliminary discussions during the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff's plan is to focus purely on this season and wants to acquire players to help them win a Stanley Cup before he makes important decisions on his pending free agents. While there is value in this strategy, it comes with some risk.
The salary cap is rising, and as players like Samberg, Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers continue to impress and take on bigger roles under HC Scott Arniel, the market for them grows and the salary they can demand will to. No player on the Jets is benefitting more by waiting to have these discussions than Samberg.
The Saginaw, MN native is just 26 years old, is listed at 6'4 and has rounded out his game. He is a fantastic puck mover and defender, defending the rush and the cycle better than anyone on the Jets.
All signs point to the Jets and Samberg conjuring up a deal, but as time continues to pass by, Samberg could be adding digits to his salary.
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