Waiting Game Could Cost Jets as Defenseman's Price Skyrockets

The Winnipeg Jets are a better team when one of their defensemen is in the lineup, and the longer they take to sign him, the more costly his contract might be.

Dylan Samberg was out with a broken foot during the Jets' sole genuine slump of the year. Even though they weren't flailing for the whole period he was absent, their play was visibly worse without him compared to when he was healthy.

The 26-year-old defenseman has four goals and 12 points this season while averaging a career-high 20:53 of ice time with a +22 rating. His influence is evident in the success of the team, Winnipeg is 27-6-1 when he's in the lineup.

He was dominant again on Saturday against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, as well as on Tuesday.

Winnipeg dominates the opposition when he is on the ice and he regularly sees top competition while being an important penalty killer.

In spite of missing 21 games, he is fifth in penalty kill minutes. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently reported that Samberg switched agents, but there is no issue regarding him wishing to depart.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is focusing on a Stanley Cup run ahead of negotiating deals with pending free agents.

That said, as the cap goes up and players such as Samberg, Gabriel Vilardi, and Nikolaj Ehlers keep producing numbers, their value grows.

Samberg, a 6'4" defenceman with elite-level defensive and puck-moving abilities, is setting himself up for a massive deal.