Bauer inks two-year contract extension with Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have packed quite a punch with their latest player signing.

Popular defenceman Tyrel Bauer inked a two-year contract extension Monday — one that could very well see him make his NHL debut sooner than later.

Bauer, 24, was a restricted free agent this summer. The new pact will pay him US$875,000 if he’s on the Jets this season and US$250,000 if he’s in the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose.

The two-way contract switches to a one-way deal for 2027-28, meaning he makes NHL money regardless of where he plays.

Bauer is one of the toughest customers in pro hockey, with plenty of highlight-reel scraps on his resumé.

He had five points (one goal, four assists) and 110 penalty minutes on 52 regular-season games last season for the Moose.

His biggest accomplishment came off the ice as Bauer was presented in May with the 2025-26 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as the AHL’s Man of the Year.

Bauer was previously the captain of the Seattle Thunderbirds and has 21 points (5G, 16A) and 401 PIMs in 214 AHL games since being selected in the sixth round of the 2020 draft.

The Alberta product stands 6-4 and weighs 216 pounds.

Winnipeg is expected to be without defenceman Elias Salomonsson (as he recovers from shoulder surgery) to start the season, which could open the door for Bauer to crack the club out of training camp and fill the right-shot slot on the third pairing. The Jets could use some physicality on the back end, especially since moving Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn at the trade deadline last year.

Bauer’s main competition for the open roster spot would appear to be Jack St. Ivany, who was obtained earlier this summer from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward David Gustafsson.

Training camp begins the week of Sept. 14, and the Jets begin their 84-game campaign on Oct. 2 at Canada Life Centre.