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Completed signing by the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets are hurting: Kyle Davidson's a genius


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Joshua Deeds
August 2, 2025  (10:54)
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Photo credit: NHL.com

The Winnipeg Jets Dylan Samberg signed an overpriced $17.25 million contract recently, which, in the rearview mirror, makes Kyle Davidson look like a genius with Alex Vlasic's $4.6 million AAV contract.

The Winnipeg Jets have overpaid for defenseman Dylan Samberg's new contract at $5.75 million AAV.
The deal is a three-year term for a 20-point defenseman who has only recently started to see an uptick in production.

Alex Vlasic: Special Team's Assignments and Duties

For Alex Vlasic's deal, he has yet to see his true upside, but will remain with the Blackhawks longer, and will have a chance to show us all what he's made of (and that he's better than Samberg).
In 82 games for the Blackhawks, he's a key contributor, scoring 30 points (4-26) and has been Seth Jones's protege as of late.
He's been coming into his own, proving that he no longer needs to be sheltered, and according to DailyFaceOff, they project him playing alongside prospect Sam Rinzel in 2025-26 in an ironic turn of events.
For Samberg, he'll never be utilized in the same fashion as Vlasic, who's become a specialist on the PK and power play for the Blackhawks.
Samberg only played on the 1st power-play unit, which has typically been quarterbacked by #1 defenseman Josh Morrissey. He's been completely overshadowed by Morrissey, who has been having more than a couple of "career years" in Winnipeg.
If anything, it seems Samberg has been given a chance to play his game by veteran Pionk, and his newest contract is a result of that.
We don't see him being an impact player in the lineup like Alex Vlasic here in the Windy City.
Fortunately for the Blackhawks, they have him at a hometown discount for the next six years.
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Completed signing by the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets are hurting: Kyle Davidson's a genius

Do you think defenseman Alex Vlasic of the Chicago Blackhawks is a better defenseman than Dylan Samberg of the Winnipeg Jets?

Yes34050.4 %
No33549.6 %
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