Jets sign Pionk to 6-year, $42M extension

One of the top pending unrestricted free-agent defensemen won't hit the open market.

The Winnipeg Jets signed blue-liner Neal Pionk to a six-year extension carrying an average annual value of $7 million, the team announced Thursday.

The 29-year-old recorded 10 goals and 29 assists in 69 games with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets this season, averaging 22:04 per contest. He ranked second among Winnipeg blue-liners to Josh Morrissey in all three statistics.

While Pionk didn't set career highs in any of those categories, this was arguably his best all-around season. His 2.2 defensive goals above replacement represented a new personal best, per Evolving-Hockey.

The Jets acquired Pionk and a first-round pick (Ville Heinola) in a 2019 trade with the New York Rangers in exchange for Jacob Trouba.

The 2025 UFA defense class currently projects to be headlined by Aaron Ekblad, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ivan Provorov, and Dmitry Orlov, among others.