Winnipeg Jets sign Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck to identical 7-year extensions

The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to identical seven-year contract extensions, the team announced Monday. Both deals will have an average annual value of $8.5 million.

Scheifele, 30, was the first player drafted by the Jets after the team relocated to Winnipeg, taken seventh overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

In 2022-23, he scored a career-high 42 goals, and has hit the 20 goal/60-point mark in each of the past eight seasons. Entering his 11th full season with Winnipeg, he’s scored 272 goals, 373 assists and 645 points in 723 regular-season games.

Scheifele was named an All-Star in 2019 and 2020.

Hellebuyck, also 30, was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Michigan native is entering his ninth full season with Winnipeg. He won the Veznia Trophy in 2019-20 and has finished as a finalist for the award three times (2017-18, 2019-20 and 2022-23).

Hellebuyck holds a number of the franchise’s all-time records, including games played (445), wins (238), shutouts (32) and saves (12,465). Last season, he posted a 37-25-2 record with a .920 save percentage and four shutouts.

Hellebuyck was named an All-Star in 2018, 2020 and 2023.

The Jets will open the 2023-24 regular season on the road on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames. They will host the Florida Panthers in their home opener on Saturday afternoon.

The Jets finished the 2022-23 regular season with a 46-33-3 record, good for 95 points and placing fourth in the Central Division. They clinched the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot, but were eliminated 4-1 in the first round by the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights.