Tobias Enstrom will be sticking around in Winnipeg after signing a five year extension with the Jets.
Enstrom, who still has a year left on his current deal with the Jets, will now remain with the team through the 2017-18 season. The new contract will see the defenseman earn $5.75 million per year, with a total value of $28.75 milion over the life of the contract.
Last season with the Jets, Enstrom was limited to 62 regular season games. Despite his injuries, he was good for 6 goals, 27 assists, and 33 points over the course of the season. Bouncing back next season will be key, but Enstrom is more than likely good for around 50 points in each campaign if he can stay healthy.
Enstrom’s name began popping up in trade rumors as he was entering the final year of his contract, but this signing may not put an end to that quite yet. You can imagine teams are interested in Enstrom after they missed out on the Ryan Suter sweepstakes, but having Enstrom locked up long-term might interest them even more. Certainly a team wouldn’t trade away skilled players to get a player in return who would be a free agent at the end of next season. So perhaps the pieces are falling in place for someone to come calling for the talented 27-year-old.
If he remains with the Jets, they will be keeping a talented young defenseman locked up in their system throughout his prime years. With 204 points over five years, Enstrom is averaging nearly 41 points per season. As he continues to develop and play top minutes, he will only improve both offensively and defensively.
Additionally, the Jets are developing quite a solid defensive unit. Dustin Byfuglien, Zach Bogosian, Ron Hainsey, and of course Enstrom, round out a pretty solid top four that are only going to get better. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, the Winnipeg Jets are definitely on the right track to make their way back to post-season play.
