WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitraton and signed defenseman Neal Pionk to a four-year contract worth roughly $23.5 million.

The 26-year-old Pionk will earn about $5.8 million per year, the team said in a statement Wednesday.

The Jets acquired the Nebraska native in a 2019 trade with the New York Rangers. Since then, he’s scored nine goals and recorded 68 assists to lead all Jets defensemen in scoring.

A salary arbitration hearing had been set for Friday.

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