The Winnipeg Jets are getting close to the finish line of a long offseason, and Dylan Samberg is one of the players who should matter plenty once the puck drops on 2026-27.
The Jets open their season at home against the Boston Bruins in 40 days, and 63 days from now they’ll host the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Tickets for the Alumni game on October 24th go on sale to the general public this upcoming Thursday. With training camps set to begin in early September, the wait is nearly over.
Samberg’s place in the picture is pretty clear. The 27-year old defender has been with the organization since Winnipeg drafted him in 2017, and after time at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and with the Manitoba Moose, he eventually carved out a real NHL role. What started as a second-round pick developing within the system turned into a top-four defender the Jets could lean on.
His biggest jump came in 2023-24, when he played 78 games and put up 18 points. The numbers mattered, but the bigger change was on the defensive side, where Samberg’s game looked sharper and more reliable. Winnipeg moved him onto the second pairing around that time, and he has mostly stayed there since.
The last two seasons brought a different challenge. Injuries limited Samberg to 60 games and then 66 games, which kept him from building on that breakout year in a straight line. Even so, he still found ways to help on a nightly basis.
He’s now in the second season of his current three-year contract, which carries a cap hit of $5.75 million. Samberg is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season, though the Jets could explore an extension as early as next season if his game keeps trending in the right direction. For a player in his role, that cap hit is a strong number, and the next deal could come with more term as he moves deeper into the middle stages of his career.
As for what Winnipeg should want from him in 2026-27, the offensive bar doesn’t need to be high. A season with around 5 goals and 15 assists would be a nice return.
The bigger storyline is how well he and Neal Pionk keep building their chemistry. Both players are looking for bounce-back seasons, and their pairing could be important for Winnipeg’s blue line.
Samberg’s job is the steady one. He blocks shots, stays in the right spots, and uses his physical play to make life difficult for opponents.
In that sense, he fills a similar role to Dylan DeMelo on the other side of the Jets defense: the more defensive-minded partner who lets the puck-mover work with a little more freedom. If Samberg does his part, Pionk can attack more, move the puck, and get shots through whenever possible.
That’s where Samberg’s value really shows up. He’ll get the ice time he earns, and if he performs the way Winnipeg expects, it should help cut down scoring chances against and put the Jets in a better position to win more games in 2026-27.