Anaheim Ducks center Mathieu Perreault (22) has the puck knocked loose by Calgary Flames goalie Reto Berra (29) during the second period at Honda Center.CHRISTOPHER HANEWINCKEL
The Winnipeg Jets have signed centre Mathieu Perreault to a three-year, $9-million contract.
Perreault spent least season with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 18 goals and 25 assists. He became expendable in Anaheim after the Ducks acquired centres Ryan Kesler and Nate Thompson in trades.
"They game me the opportunity to go somewhere else where I can have more ice time, especially after the trades they made for Kesler and Thompson, there wasn't much space left for me down the middle in Anaheim," Perreault said Tuesday on a conference call.
In 228 career games with Washington and Anaheim, the five-foot-10, 175-pound native of Drummondville, Que., has 51 goals, 62 assists and 106 penalty minutes.
He will add some scoring depth to the Jets, who were in the middle of the pack in the NHL last season with 219 goals.
"I talked to (Jets head coach) Paul Maurice earlier today. I think they want to change their offence a little bit and put on three lines that can score every night, and I think it was a great fit for me to come to Winnipeg," Perreault said.
Perreault led the Ducks in faceoffs last season, winning 52.6 per cent of the draws he took.
"I've always worked on it, I've always took pride in winning faceoffs, and hopefully I can come in and do that for the Jets," he said.
Perreault was drafted in the sixth round, 177th overall, in the 2006 NHL draft.