The Winnipeg Jets kicked off the first official weekend of the NHL off-season by signing backup goalie Laurent Brossoit to a one-year deal worth US$1.5 million.
And they ended the weekend by tendering qualifying offers to a half dozen pending restricted free agents that include the forward group of Jack Roslovic, Mason Appleton, Jansen Harkins, and C.J. Seuss as well as defencemen Sami Niku and Nelson Nogier. Appleton, Suess and Nogier have arbitration rights for the coming season.
Roslovic is coming off a career year of scoring 12 goals and adding 17 assists for 29 points in 71 games. He also had a pair of helpers in the four-game loss to Calgary in the qualifying round of the post-season.
Appleton missed two months of the schedule with a broken foot suffered while playing football just prior to the outdoor game in Regina versus Calgary in late October. He played in 46 games and scored five goals to go along with three assists for eight points.
Harkins was one of the feel-good stories of the 2019-20 season for Winnipeg as he had two goals and seven points in 29 games played after being recalled from the AHL Manitoba Moose just before Christmas when the Jets were ravaged by injuries.
Niku suffered through an injury-riddled season that began the day before the start of main training camp when he was involved in a motor vehicle accident along with teammate Kristian Vesalainen. The highly skilled defenceman did manage five assists in the 17 games he played for Winnipeg.
Suess played in one game for the Jets, making his NHL debut in a 3-2 win on Nov. 1 at San Jose. Nogier played all 58 games of this past season in the AHL with the Moose.
The Jets did not qualify forward Michal Spacek.