Jets Should Buy Out Neal Pionk & Nate Schmidt

The Winnipeg Jets need to usher in the future of their blue line and increase their short-term financial flexibility. Buying out both defensemen would be relatively simple as they are in the final years of their respective contracts. Pionk's current deal is a four-year one he signed with the Jets in 2021 that carries a $5.875 million average annual value (AAV), while Schmidt's deal is a six-year one he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff inherited in a 2021 trade that carries a $5.95 million AAV. Pionk, in the first three seasons of his extension, has not replicated the quality of play he provided in his first two seasons in Winnipeg.