The Winnipeg Jets signed left-wingers Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke to matching one-year deals for US$1 million on the opening day of NHL free agency.
Pearson will turn 33 in August and is coming off a 12-goal, 15-assist, 27-point performance in 78 games with Vegas during the 2024-25 season, his 12th in the National Hockey League after previous stops with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Montreal.
“It happened pretty quick. They offered, and then talked it out with my family and agent and decided it was a good fit,” Pearson told a group of reporters via speaker phone. “Obviously a heckuva hockey club and gives me another chance at winning.”
The Kitchener, Ont., native has 150 goals and 162 assists for 312 points in 722 career NHL games, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings.
Koepke is 27 years old and played two of his three seasons for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs with Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg. The six-foot-one, 207-pound Two Harbors, Minn., native played his first full NHL season in 2024-25 with Boston and totalled 10 goals, seven assists and 17 points in 72 games with the Bruins.
Get breaking National news
“Boston, there was a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and a lot of turnover with players and coaching so that was all kind of a new experience,” said Koepke, who spent the first three-plus years of his professional career with Tampa Bay after being selected by the Lightning in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
- Raptors sign first-round pick Murray-Boyles
- Blue Jays recall Jiménez from Triple-A Buffalo
- Scherzer finds his stuff in strong start
- Blue Jays rally in sixth to edge Yankees 5-4
-
![]()
Future of Raptors without Masai Ujiri -
![]()
‘O CANADA,’ Peter Baylis reflects on 15 years of anthem-singing for the Mooseheads -
![]()
North Vancouver girls’ team does Canada proud at international basketball tournament. -
![]()
Vancouver Bandits celebrate Filipino culture
“Winnipeg was about as consistent as they could be — Presidents Trophy winners. That’s something that’s very appealing, very exciting. Every player wants to win.”
Winnipeg also “officially” announced the signing of Jonathan Toews to a one-year deal for $2 million, plus incentive bonuses that could total another $5 million for the coming 2025-26 season.
The 37-year-old Winnipegger is expected to be in his hometown for a formal news conference on Friday to discuss his plans for an NHL comeback. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion hasn’t played since the end of the 2022-23 season, when he was still a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Former Jet Brandon Tanev was the first of Winnipeg’s three unrestricted free agents to find a new home, signing a three-year deal with Utah that has an average annual value of $2.5 million.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton also became free agents on July 1.
