Gustav Nyquist signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old forward, who was an unrestricted free agent, had 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 79 games for the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators last season, including seven points (two goals, five assists) in 22 games with Minnesota after he was acquired in a trade on March 1. He did not have a point in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“There were some options out there, but this was a great opportunity for me to come to a great team, obviously, and a Presidents Trophy team last year," Nyquist said. "Yeah, it was hard not to say yes to this one, this opportunity to play really good hockey for a really good team.”
Selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Nyquist has 531 points (209 goals, 322 assists) in 863 regular-season games for the Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Predators and Wild, and 30 points (six goals, 24 assists) in 83 playoff games.
“Oh yeah, for sure," Nyquist said regarding his hope to compete for the Stanley Cup with Winnipeg. "I've been fortunate to play for a long time, but in saying that I still feel young and feel like I have a few more years left in me. But, so the reality of this is, the chances aren't going to be that many. And then when you get an opportunity to join a team like this who's got a real good chance -- and for a guy that hasn't gone all the way yet -- that's obviously an exciting opportunity and for sure a big part in my decision."
Said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff: “Interesting thing, two years ago when he was with Nashville he was playing a much different role. Over the course of time, last year's free agency period, Nashville had a lot of different players and his role changed. So now there's an opportunity for him here to have a bigger role, more akin to what he had two years ago and we'll see where that goes. But again, I think it just adds to the competition, which strengthens an organization. Certainly we're going to need all hands on deck as an organization here to continue to push forward and take that next step."
NHL.com independent correspondent Darrin Bauming contributed to this report
