Jets lock up D Pionk on six-year, $42M extension
Published
The Winnipeg Jets have signed defenceman Neal Pionk to a six-year contract extension worth $42 million, the team announced on Thursday.
The deal carries an annual cap hit of $7 million for Pionk, who finished with 10 goals and 39 points in 69 games for the Jets this season, his sixth in Winnipeg.
The 29-year-old blueliner played out this season in the final year of a four-year deal worth $23.5 million that was signed ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The Jets acquired Pionk ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, as part of the deal that sent Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers.
Originally joining New York as an undrafted free agent, Pionk spent two years with the Rangers before joining Winnipeg.
Pionk joins Alex Iafallo as Jets mainstays to receive contract extensions on the eve of the playoffs.
Pionk and the Jets open their Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday as the top seed in the Western Conference. After taking home the Presidents' Trophy as the top team in the NHL, they'll enjoy home ice in every round of the playoffs, including the Stanley Cup Final, should they advance as far.
In 536 career NHL games, Pionk has 44 goals and 256 points.