The Winnipeg Jets capped off what would arguably be the most productive July 1 in 2.0 franchise history by signing former San Jose defenceman Mario Ferraro Wednesday evening after inking goalie Stu Skinner during the noon hour earlier in the day.
Ferraro’s deal is for three years with an average annual value of US$4 million, while Skinner’s contract is for two years with an AAV of $3.75 million.
The Jets also signed depth forward Noah Gregor to a one-year, two-way deal that will pay the former Florida Panther an NHL salary of $850,000 and $450,000 at the minor league level, according to Puck Pedia.
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Ferraro was San Jose’s second-round pick (49th overall) in the 2017 NHL entry draft out of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. The 27-year-old Toronto native went on to play two years at U-Mass Amherst in the NCAA Hockey East conference before signing an entry-level deal with the Sharks in April of 2019.
The five-foot-11, 200-pound left-shot blue-liner played 490 NHL games during his seven-year career with the Sharks, scoring 24 goals and adding 90 assists for 114 points.
Ferraro, noted for his defensive play, led San Jose with 150 blocked shots and 277:11 of playing time shorthanded this past season. The Toronto native was third on the team with 21:02 of ice time per game, behind only Macklin Celebrini and fellow rearguard Dmitry Orlov.
Ferraro will speak with the media on Thursday morning.
So where is the secondary scoring if Cheveldayoff was so busy yesterday? All Chevy did was hand sit again and pickup two expendable players.