Declan Chisholm signs one-year contract with Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have locked up their final restricted free agent.

The club announced that defenseman Declan Chisholm has signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL for 2023-24.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2018, Chisholm had a breakout season with five goals and 43 points in 59 regular season games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He also had four assists in five games during the playoffs. In 140 games, Chisholm has 16 goals and 86 points over three years.

Chisholm also has two games of NHL experience to his credit, failing to record a point.

The 23-year-old from Bowmanville, Ontario, spent four years with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes before turning pro. He finished with a career-high 13 goals and 69 points in 2019-20, his only season as an alternate captain.

Winnipeg has a ton of defensive depth, which will make Declan’s chances of cracking the lineup very difficult. He isn’t waiver-exempt this year, meaning teams could pick him up if he is indeed sent down after training camp. A left-handed defenseman with experience on both sides, the team has eight defenders signed to deals, including new recruit Brenden Dillon and recent RFA signing Logan Stanley.

None of the realistic defensive options, other than Ville Heinola, are waiver-exempt. Winnipeg has Josh Morrissey signed until 2028, and Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo are set to become UFAs after next summer. Everyone else is signed until 2025.

The Jets qualified for the playoffs with the final spot in the Western Conference but lost in five games in the opening round to the Vegas Golden Knights. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff made a big move by buying out the final year of Blake Wheeler’s contract ahead of the start of free agency, and trading Pierre-Luc Dubois to Los Angeles during the draft weekend.