An already thin group of free agent forwards became even thinner on Tuesday afternoon when the Winnipeg Jets agreed to a new deal with Drew Stafford, signing him to a two-year contract that will pay him $8.7 million.
That comes out to an average salary cap hit of $4.35 million per season.
Stafford, who turns 30 in October, spent the 2014-15 season split between the Buffalo Sabres and Jets, scoring 18 goals and recording 25 assists in 78 games. He was traded to the Jets, along with Tyler Myers, in the middle of the season as a part of the trade that sent Evander Kane to the Sabres.
His new deal is a small raise over the $4 million per year average he had on his previous deal that he signed when he was still a member of the Sabres.
It's definitely not a small cap hit for what Stafford provides, which is a steady 15-20 goal, 40-50 point performance every year, but it's also not a crippling contract because it's only a two-year deal. The Jets essentially gave him a little more money per year to keep the term down (which isn't a bad idea for a player that is about to turn 30), and in the process managed to get over the salary floor.
There will be worse contracts signed on Wednesday for sure.
