With the Stanley Cup Playoffs officially over, the Winnipeg Jets took care of an important piece of business on the first day of the NHL’s off-season.
Tuesday morning, the Jets signed defenceman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year extension with an AAV of 4.9 million dollars.
“It’s huge to get it done. Definitely feels good. Just so happy to stay with Winnipeg, the fit has been fantastic. It feels like my best years have been in Winnipeg and it really feels like my best years are still ahead of me,” said DeMelo.
“To be able to get it done with this organization and to be back with this group of guys, I’m so thrilled and I can’t get wait to get started.”
After the Jets dropped their first round series to the Colorado Avalanche in April, DeMelo was asked about what was important to him when it came to his next contract. The 31-year-old mentioned his role and fit with the team and the ability to win. Clearly, he feels he can do that with the Jets.
“When Scheif (Mark Scheifele) and Bucky (Connor Hellebuyck) re-signed, that really set the tone for the organization and we have the pieces. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have the core guys and the group of guys to get this done. We just have to find a way to push it over the top,” said DeMelo.
“I believe in this group and the big reason why I re-signed; I believe we have the makeup to win. It’s on us now to find how that all works.”
The Ontario product was also excited to hear the news that associate coach Scott Arniel was named the Jets coach following the retirement of Rick Bowness.
“It means a lot. Even just as a person, I know he’s wanted to get back to being a head coach for a long time and I think to do it in Winnipeg is something special to him. Obviously being a player here, his wife is from here, he calls Winnipeg home in the summer even when he was with different organizations. I know on that level, it meant a lot,” said DeMelo.
“But he’s also very deserving to be the coach. When Bones had his leave of absence and things of that nature, Arnie was really good calming influence in a very hectic time where we didn’t know when Bones was going to be back. He kind of kept everything together. He’s got a little different approach than Bones and has a really good feel for the game.”
Just last week, Arniel rounded out his coaching staff by bringing in assistant coaches Davis Payne and Dean Chynoweth. DeMelo has some familiarity with Payne as the two worked together during DeMelo’s time in Ottawa and he was able to chat with Chynoweth on the phone shortly after the news came out.
“Honestly, we barely talked about hockey. We were just talking about life, and he seems like a guy that’s really going to be good for us,” said DeMelo.
“So, I’m looking forward to Scott taking the reins here. I think he’s going to do a fantastic job with our group, and we’ve had a taste of him being the head coach and him having that relationship with us and that open communication, I think that goes a long way.”
A former coach of DeMelo’s, Paul Maurice, along with the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup after a long hard fought seven games over the Edmonton Oilers. DeMelo admitted that watching the Final will provide motivation for him going into next season.
“Congratulations to Paul Maurice, Jamie Kompon, Kevin Stenlund and Dmitry Kulikov, former Jets that won. I wish we all got to win together in Winnipeg. But there’s that jealousy in me in that case but super proud of all of them, really good people. Paul has been in the game for a very long time chasing it,” said DeMelo.
“I mean you’re watching, and you wish that was you. You wish you were playing in the (Stanley Cup) Final, you wish you were the one hoisting the Stanley Cup. It’s tough to watch it, it really is. You want that to be you. I’ve been kind of able to unwind and get back on the ice, get in the gym and spend time with the family, which has been great. But when I think about it, it does tick me off, I think we should be using it as motivation coming into camp, motivation in our workouts and motivation when we are on the ice.”
With the new contract in hand, DeMelo will be looking to build off another impressive season in Winnipeg. He finished second in the NHL with a +46, Panthers defenceman Gustav Forsling led the way with +56. Jets fans can rest easy knowing the DeMelo will be doing everything he can to get better for the upcoming campaign.
“I was kind of annoyed I didn’t get +50. I know that’s kind of arrogant to say but that’s honestly how I feel. You want to up the ante on everything, I had three goals last year, I had six the year before and I want more than six goals. I had 31 points (in 2023-24), I want 35-40 points. Always trying to improve, always trying to up the ante,” said DeMelo.
“As soon as you kind of lay off and settle in this league, in life, you’re going to get passed by. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t trying to explore all options to get better, not just for myself, but for this group. I re-signed here, obviously it’s a great contract, making good money. I owe it to this organization and to my teammates to be the best player I can be. It’s my mindset and trying to do what I can to try to push this team forward.”
