Jets Sign Third Line Forward To New Deal

The Winnipeg Jets elect to re-sign their 2015 sixth round pick to a 3-year contract after acquiring him back from the Seattle Kraken last season. Mason Appleton was selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft and didn't have a very big impact with the team. The Jets traded a fourth round pick for him and had enough confidence in him to sign him for three more years at $2.167 million AAV.

Mason Appleton and WIN avoid arbitration with a 3 year deal. $2M, then two seasons of $2.25M

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 7, 2022

 Appleton becomes the seventh highest paid forward on the Jets as of right now. He will be playing bottom-six minutes and should earn a spot on the third line. His best season where it appeared he was breaking out was in 2020-21, scoring 12 goals and 25 points in 56 games in that exact role.

There are mixed feelings about Appleton from fans. It's always nice when a player drafted can develop through the system and have an impact on the team, but after last season he didn't prove he deserves over $2 million per season. Next season will be a big test as he will have to step up and provide at least 35 points to silence the critics and show he will continue to improve.

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