Winnipeg Jets sign veteran Jim Slater to three-year, $4.8 million contract -NHL Update
Jim Slater had already expressed his desire to stay with the newly relocated Winnipeg Jets club during the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, so it was just a formality re-signing the veteran forward.
Winnipeg Jets made the deal official on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, by signing the player to a three-year contract of which the financial part is reported to be worth a cool $4.8 million.
The contract is a one-way deal which has his annual salary cap hit at $1.6 million and will making him an unrestricted free agent by the end of the 2014-2015 regular season.
“It’s definitely an honour to play with one (organization) for the time frame that I have and hopefully I can be here for many more years to come,” Slater said. “Obviously, (free agency) crosses your mind but that was way in the back of my mind.”
Slater is one of those original Atlanta Thrashers players that stayed on the club when moving up North into Canada and regaining the title of the Jets.
He was picked up as the 30th overall during round-one of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Atlanta Thrashers and stayed on the club ever since and has become widely known as a loyal player.
For Winnipeg Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Jim Slater provides the team with exceptional offensive depth and is an example setter for the rest of his teammates.
“The offensive side of it is just one component. There are many other components to his game, his face-offs, what he brings in the dressing room, his off-ice conditioning, with respect to where he shows up each and every year in training camp as one of the
top-conditioned athletes. He’s a true professional that works hard on his game both on and off the ice,” Cheveldayoff said.
The 29-year-old has played a total of 449 games in which he has 121 points (60 goals, 61 assists). Last season was a benchmark one for the veteran as he recorded a career high of 21 points (13 goals, 8 assists) in his most games played in a hockey year (78).
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