The Jets announced yesterday that they have agreed to terms with the 27-year-old on a two-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.45 million.
TWO MORE YEARS OF KOEPS ✍️
Koepke was set to become a UFA on July 1 after signing a one-year, $1 million deal with Winnipeg for the 2025-26 season.
He appeared in 66 games for the Jets this season, recording eight goals and nine assists for 17 points along with 16 penalty minutes. In 165 career NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Jets, he has totaled 19 goals, 18 assists, and 37 points with 35 penalty minutes.
The Two Harbors, Minnesota native was drafted 183rd overall in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning and spent time during four seasons (2020-24) with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he produced 100 points (49G, 51A) in 183 games.
Koepke was one of the few bright spots among the pieces Winnipeg brought in last summer, perhaps alongside Jonathan Toews, who was excellent in the faceoff circle this season and contributed offensively to an extent. Other additions, such as Tanner Pearson and Gustav Nyquist, didn’t work out as well. Koepke, however, gave the Jets good value as a bottom-six grinder who provided some secondary scoring, something Winnipeg lacked for much of the year, along with physicality.
With Koepke now signed for another two seasons, the Jets have taken an early step in what should be a very important offseason. They still have several pending UFAs to make decisions on, including Jacob Bryson, Colin Miller, Nyquist, Ville Heinola, Eric Comrie, and of course Toews, whose future remains uncertain as he weighs whether to continue playing or retire.
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