Three NHL teams made noise on July 15, and each move says something different about where they’re headed.
In Winnipeg, the Jets chose certainty with a side of risk, locking up Cole Perfetti on a five-year, $30 million contract that carries a $6 million cap hit. The deal runs through 2030-31 and keeps him out of salary arbitration, but it also puts the organization on the hook for a player whose value is still being sorted out.
Perfetti’s last season didn’t give the cleanest read. He battled a high ankle sprain, returned before he was fully settled, and finished with 32 points while missing 14 games.
That’s the version of him the Jets are betting on now. At the same time, they’re clearly leaning on the memory of the 50-point breakout he posted before that.
The contract is fair on paper, but it’s also a wager on which Perfetti shows up next.
Edmonton, meanwhile, has spent the past year tearing up its goaltending plan and starting over. The Oilers brought in Tristan Jarry over the last 12 months, then added Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen this summer, giving them a mix that blends veteran steadiness with a much bigger swing on upside.
Levi is the most intriguing piece in the group. Prospect analyst Scott Wheeler is high on him, pointing to the same tools that smaller goalies need to survive and thrive: edge control, quick shuffles, good hands, strong reads, tracking through traffic, and a gritty mindset.
His AHL line backs up the interest, too - 23-20-9 with a 2.83 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and four shutouts. With Jarry and Andersen in the room, the Oilers are hoping Levi can ease into the picture without carrying the weight of the position right away.
Detroit’s change was the biggest organizational shake-up of the day. Steve Yzerman is stepping out of the general manager chair and into a senior advisor role, though he’ll still be part of the transition and remain on the search committee for the next hockey boss.
The move comes not long after Dylan Larkin reportedly requested a trade following another late-season collapse, adding another layer to an already tense situation. Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff are among the names being discussed as possible replacements, and Detroit could also look outside the organization since several other GM jobs have opened up this offseason.
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Oilers Still Have One Unsettled Decision That Could Shape Everything
The Oilers are still sorting through a few roster questions that could ripple beyond opening night, and the most pressing one is in goal. Edmonton is set to begin the season with three NHL-caliber options and no clear starter, a setup that suggests the club may lean on a fairly even workload early while it figures out who can separate from the pack. For a team trying to stay in the thick of the Western Conference race, that kind of uncertainty is hard to ignore.
There is also a quieter contract decision taking shape elsewhere on the roster, with Matt Savoies next deal potentially influenced by the recent Cole Perfetti extension. Edmonton may prefer to think long term rather than settle for a bridge arrangement, especially if the market continues to reward young talent in that tier. It is the sort of front-office call that does not grab headlines right away, but it can end up shaping the teams flexibility for years. [Read more 🡒]
Evander Kane Feels Like The Flames Debate Fans Dread Most
Evander Kane is back on the open market after a full season with the Vancouver Canucks, and his name is already circulating in the kind of conversations that tend to follow a veteran winger with a long track record and a recent injury history. At this stage of his career, the appeal is pretty clear: a proven scorer, plenty of edge, and enough experience that teams can picture him fitting into more than one kind of lineup.
For Edmonton, the intrigue is easy to understand because the Oilers have been linked to the same sort of low-cost, low-commitment path that could make sense for a player like Kane. A professional tryout would let everyone take a longer look before anything more permanent, and a one-year deal would keep the risk manageable if the fit is there, especially with the club still sorting through its forward depth and the uncertainty around some of its other options. [Read more 🡒]