Kyle Connor and the Winnipeg Jets agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension Wednesday that carries an AAV of $12 million.
Connor will become the highest-paid player on the Jets in 2026-27. It’s the price Winnipeg was willing to pay to retain a 28-year-old star forward who just scored the most points by a player in a single season (97) in Jets 2.0 history.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 8, 2025
The Jets finished first in the NHL with 116 points last season. Extending Connor long-term was necessary for Winnipeg to maintain a win-now approach while aging franchise players Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele continue to perform like elite players. Connor joins Scheifele, Hellebuyck, Gabriel Vilardi and Neal Pionk as Jets signed to contracts through at least 2030.
Connor’s skill set is unique. He’s a fast skater, creating separation for himself out of explosive cutbacks, and a particularly dangerous finisher from tight spaces. He has a knack for finding soft ice and his shot is deceptive, beating goaltenders from short and medium range. The Michigan-born forward is an avid outdoorsperson and part of a group of Jets who like to go hunting and fishing on their off days in Manitoba.
It’s the second big-ticket extension in a Canadian market this week, following Connor McDavid’s two-year, $12.5 million AAV contract signed on Monday.
What this means for Jets
Some teams can afford to let first-line star wingers go because they know they can make up for it in free agency. Winnipeg is not one of those teams. The Jets couldn’t afford to let Connor walk like Tampa Bay did with franchise icon Steven Stamkos in 2024, for example, because the Jets are not as likely to follow up that move by signing someone like Jake Guentzel.
In Winnipeg’s case, Connor is a 2015 first-round draft pick who has turned into a homegrown star forward. He fits into the Jets’ team culture, prioritizing outdoor days above big city life. He lends his support to local organizations like U-Turn Parkinson’s, while maintaining a positive, understated approach in the media. In short, Connor is an ideal poster child of the “draft and develop” mantra the Jets employed in their early years — and produces offence at a star level. He’s Winnipeg’s best forward, based on The Athletic’s NHL player tiers.
Winnipeg could not afford to let this player go, particularly after losing Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency last summer. The opportunity cost of his $12 million AAV is simply not as valuable to the Jets in free agency as it would be for other teams, and while the additions Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist could work out, Winnipeg’s offence depends on Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi more than it ever has before.
That’s not to say the deal is without risk.
Connor will be 29 when his contract begins next season and 37 years old when it ends. He likely maintains high-end offensive performance for the early portion of his deal, but we’ve seen Winnipeg’s best players — Connor’s early career mentor, Blake Wheeler, as one example — decline in their mid-30s before. Connor is an adequate, improving defensive player but there’s a real risk that his value drops precipitously when his offence dries up.
It’s not a problem the Jets will have to deal with for several years. The cap will increase between now and that moment, and Connor could deliver multiple great seasons before he starts to slow down. It’s a risk that Winnipeg is willing to take, but a long-term risk all the same.
Winnipeg wants to make players like Connor, Scheifele, Hellebuyck and Josh Morrissey “Jets for life.” This deal is a realization of one of those goals.
What this means for Kyle Connor
Connor has established long-term security for himself and his family. He and his wife, Ally, were married in 2024 and welcomed a baby girl in March of this year. Now Connor’s eight-year, $96 million contract creates multigenerational wealth. It also gives him stability in a city and organization that has been loyal to him since being drafted in 2015.
Connor’s on-ice situation is ideal in Winnipeg. There are teams on which Connor would inevitably star, but might not get the first-line, top-unit playing time that he does on the Jets. He played more often during the regular season than Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, for example, who starred for Florida on the way to a second straight Stanley Cup. Connor’s scoring ability, his chemistry with Scheifele and Winnipeg’s lack of comparable scoring threats make Connor an automatic choice to send over the boards in most situations.
Staying in Winnipeg ensures Connor plays in a context where he can excel. It keeps him alongside lifelong teammates, giving Winnipeg a chance to compete in the playoffs for the foreseeable future. He’s going to be an enormous part of that, while earning the same cap hit as Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner — the sixth-highest cap hit in the NHL next season, before Jack Eichel’s next deal.
