The Winnipeg Jets have extended qualifying offers to seven players those being Tyrel Bauer, Isaak Phillips, Dylan Samberg, Morgan Barron, Parker Ford, Rasmus Kupari and Gabe Vilardi, but have not extended offers to Simon Lundmark and Mason Shaw.
Bauer, Phillips and Ford almost exclusively played in the AHL. Bauer, a 23-year-old right-handed defenseman, skated in 59 games with the Manitoba Moose, recording two assists. Phillips was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks during the season and played in 39 games with the Moose, scoring three goals and eight points. The 23-year-old is a 6'3 defensive defenseman with 56 games of NHL experience under his belt.
Ford accumulated his first bit of NHL experience this season, scoring one goal in three games. In the AHL, the 24-year-old forward registered 14 goals and 21 points in 41 games.
Samberg, Barron, Kupari and Vilardi are all restricted free agents who spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season with the Jets. Kupari will spend the next two seasons with Lugano HC in Switzerland, but extending him a qualifying offer will keep his rights with the team if he elects to make a return to the NHL when his contract concludes.
Barron played in 74 games with the Jets this season, scoring eight goals in 15 points and emerging as the fourth-line center the team needed. His size and physical brand of hockey are valued additions to the Jets' bottom six.
Samberg and Vilardi are the two big-name RFAs the Jets desperately need to sign. A recent report stated the Jets are engaged in ongoing negotiations with the 25-year-old, and both parties feel confident that a deal will formulate.
Samberg is just as, if not more important, to the Jets' success as Vilardi. The 2024-25 season emerged as a breakout campaign for the 26-year-old, averaging a career-high 21:08 of ice time and becoming recognized as one of the NHL's top defensive defensemen.
Although it may be difficult, signing Vilardi and Samberg to long-term contracts would go a long way to extending the Jets' window for success.
Lundmark and Shaw will become unrestricted free agents and still could re-sign with the Jets, although most signs point towards Lundmark leaving the organization. The 24-year-old was a second-round pick (51st overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, but has yet to make his NHL debut. He finished his fourth AHL season with the Moose this year but has yet to record more than five goals and 17 points despite little defensive improvements. Several rumours have been shared linking Lundmark with a return to Sweden in the SHL.
Shaw is a 26-year-old forward who wrapped up his first season with the Jets organization, scoring 17 goals and 37 points in 72 AHL games. Shaw has played just 82 NHL games throughout his career and could be looking to sign with a team with a more visible path to the NHL next year.
Qualifying offer price tags according to Puckpedia:
Vilardi: $3,600,000 (arbitration eligible)
Barron: $1,400,000 (arbitration eligible)
Kupari: $1,100,000 (arbitration eligible)
Ford: $813,750 (arbitration eligible)
Samberg: $1,500,000 (arbitration eligible)
Phillips: $813,750 (arbitration eligible)
Bauer: $813,750
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