Jojo Doria

Winnipeg, Canada

After seeing a brilliant performance last season and a potential to further improve, the Winnipeg Jets brought back veteran center Kyle Wellwood to help bolster the lineup.

The Jets agreed to terms with Wellwood on a one-year pact.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports indicated that the one-year contract is worth $1.6 million.

Wellwood, considered one of the best unrestricted free agents this year, is coming off an impressive campaign.

The eight-year veteran had 18 goals and a career-high 48 points in 77 games for the Jets in 2011-12, one his best NHL season. The 29-year-old Wellwood also won 54.0 percent of his faceoffs.

The move boosts the Jets' competitiveness, as Winnipeg added more depth at forward and a big help on the power play.

Wellwood could be tapped in Winnipeg's third or fourth line, possibly even playing with Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky. All three have skated together while in Toronto.

Wellwood, originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the 2001 draft, had amassed 86 goals, 134 points and a plus-11 rating in 450 career games with Toronto, Vancouver, San Jose and Winnipeg.

Also Friday, the Jets also signed RFA defenseman Paul Postma via a reported one-year deal worth $550,000.

Postma played in three NHL contests with Winnipeg last season, but spent most of his time in the AHL with the St. Johns IceCaps.

 

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Jets Bolster Depth with Kyle Wellwood Re-signing