Former Jets first-rounder signs contract extension in Finland, ending any potential return to Winnipeg
Last summer, Winnipeg Jets 2017 first round pick (24th overall) Kristian Vesalainen became a restricted free agent and with limited opportunities to get consistent minutes in the NHL, he opted to head to Europe, signing with the Malmo Redhawks (SHL).
After 15 games with Malmo, he moved to his homeland, Finland, signing with HIFK Helsinki for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. So far in 23 games, Vesalainen has recorded 16 points (eight goals, eight assists). He also had three points in three games for them at the 2022 Spengler Cup.
On Thursday, HIFK Helsinki announced that they've signed Vesalainen to a one-year contract extension for the 2023-24 season, likely ending any potential return to the Winnipeg Jets organization.
Note: the following quote was translated from Finnish.
Vesalainen, 23, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st in North America. With an extension in place with HIFK Helsinki, it's unlikely he'll return to North America before the 2024-25 season, if he decides to do so or if he plans to remain in Europe for several years to come.
Source: HIFK Helsinki
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||