|
The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed forward Drew Stafford to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.35 million. The contract is worth $8.7 million in total, a league source told ESPN The Magazine's Craig Custance.  "I think the term works good for both sides," Stafford said on a conference call Tuesday. "I'm all for the challenge of raising my game." The 29-year-old helped the Jets qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2014-15 for the first time since they relocated from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season. After spending his first eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, the 2004 first-round pick was sent to Winnipeg in the Evander Kane blockbuster trade in February. In 26 games with the Jets, Stafford tallied 19 points, including nine goals, and had a plus-6 rating. "I felt when I got to Winnipeg I was able to get my game back and start to at least move the needle toward the positive side where I feel like I know how I can play," Stafford said. "I feel like I still have a lot left to show." In Winnipeg's first-round playoff ouster by the Anaheim Ducks, Stafford totaled one goal and one assist while putting nine shots on goal. "His skill level, his control -- especially with the puck in the corners -- he was fantastic for us," Jets forward Andrew Ladd said at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas last week. In 76 games total last season, the Wisconsin native had 18 goals and 25 assists. He also has three seasons of at least 20 goals on his resume since breaking into the league in 2006-07. Stafford finished the four-year, $16 million contract he signed with the Sabres in June 2011. Information from ESPN The Magazine's Craig Custance contributed to this report.
|
