ANALYSIS: Ehlers, Pionk among Jets playing for next contracts

There are many reasons the Winnipeg Jets are off to an 11-1 start, a majority of which can be found in various statistical categories.

But more evidence could also be discovered on a different kind of spreadsheet.

Of the 23 players currently on the Jets’ active roster, almost half are in what is now referred to as a “platform” year. In simpler terms, those 11 individuals are on expiring contracts.

And while most pending unrestricted or restricted free agents will say publicly their contract status is a non-factor, they’re just focused on the current season — that is not entirely true.

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The future matters, and at this very moment I would say the Winnipeg Jets are benefitting greatly from the likes of Nikolaj Ehlers, Neil Pionk, Dylan Samberg, and Gabriel Vilardi — in particular — playing for their next contracts.

Ehlers, who became the all-time scoring leader among Danish-born players with his 474th career point Sunday, and Pionk are excelling in the early stages as potential UFAs next July 1, accepting pressure as a privilege, so to speak.

Vilardi and Samberg have begun to build strong portfolios towards enhancing their bids for long-term deals, with significant raises.

That’s where things get tricky from the perspective of “keeping the band together.”

That’s because, next year, it will be Kyle Connor, Cole Perfetti, and Captain Adam Lowry “stepping up to the platform.”

If Ehlers and Pionk are able to remain relatively healthy and maintain the high level of play they’ve established over the final 70 games, there is the possibility they “could” price themselves beyond the Jets’ budget.

But that’s a conversation for down the road.

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