Jets sign Jones, Rypien, and Flood

The Winnipeg Jets continued to add to their depth today by signing NHL veteran defenseman Randy Jones, former Vancouver Canuck and Manitoba Moose forward Rick Rypien and former Moose defenseman Mark Flood to 1 year contracts.

Randy Jones becomes only the third member of this roster at 30 years old and over (Turns 30 on July 23). He will be relied upon to provide a veteran presence on the team both on and off the ice.  He has spent 7 years in the NHL with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and last season with Tampa Bay. While he isn’t an offensive defenseman, Jones is a steady stay at home player who will top out as a #6/#7 guy on the team. His best season offensively came in 07/08 with the Flyers were he scored a career high 5 goals and 31 points in a career high 71 games played.

Forward Rick Rypien returns to the ownership group that gave him his first pro contract. Originally an undrafted forward out of the Regina Pats, Rypien came to the Manitoba Moose in 04/05 and instantly became a fan favourite. Not too long into the next hockey season he was signed to his first NHL deal with Vancouver and later made his NHL debut scoring a goal in 5 NHL games that season. Although multiple injuries and than a personal issue has slowed Rypien during his career there is no doubt that when he is on his game he is one of the top grinders/enforcers in the league. At onle 5’10 190lbs he plays bigger than his size not only fighting but hitting guys twice his size every night. He has been a character guy and brought a lot of leadership to the Moose at the end of last season even finishing the playoffs as an assistant coach after he injured his knee. He possesses a ton of speed which happens to be a skill of his that is overlooked by most. There is no doubt that Rypien brings it every shift and will become a fan favourite among Winnipegers for his blue collar style of play.  Rypien can play both centre and right wing and you can look for him to find a home on Winnipeg’s 4^th line opening day.

For those who didn’t watch the Moose last season, they may wonder who or why Mark Flood was signed but for those that did, they will applaud him being brought in. Flood was named the Moose top defenseman during the year end awards and he scored 11 goals and 40 total points last season. On most nights Flood wasn’t only the best defenseman but the best play on the ice. He brings a smooth game to the backend and is a great puck mover. This signing is a depth signing as he should be the go to guy for the power play and penalty kill in St. John’s but don’t be surprised to see him get a call up. While he may not be projected to be a top 4 guy in the NHL he could develop into a decent bottom pairing/power play guy.