Cole Perfetti is doing exactly what the Winnipeg Jets needed him to do, and he’s doing it fast.
The 24-year-old winger has opened 2026-27 on a tear, and his latest statement came Tuesday night in Winnipeg’s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. Perfetti scored twice, including the eventual game-winner, and pushed his season line to five goals and three assists for eight points through the first six games.
That kind of start stands out even more when you compare it to last season. Perfetti didn’t get to five goals until his 40th game in 2025-26. This year, he’s already there before the schedule has really had time to breathe.
Playing with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele certainly helps, but this isn’t just a case of a talented winger riding shotgun and collecting leftovers. Perfetti looks more assertive.
He’s going to the hard areas in front of the net with more conviction, and he’s letting pucks fly instead of automatically looking to move them along. He’s also been a major piece of Winnipeg’s top power-play unit from the bumper spot, collecting points on every one of the Jets’ five man-advantage goals so far - two goals and three assists.
“You have to have a little bit (of a shooter’s mentality),” Perfetti said postgame. “Just trying to have the mindset of take what’s there, take what’s available.
Don’t go into a play or situation or shift of like ‘I gotta pass here.’ If it’s there to shoot, shoot; if it’s there to pass, pass.”
“As long as I can get open and get into a good spot, I’m going to try to get it on net, get a good chance.”
That confidence is a big change from last season, when Perfetti spent much of the year trying to catch up after missing the first 14 games with a high-ankle sprain in the final preseason game. He came back in November, but never really looked fully comfortable until the calendar turned. In his exit interview last spring, he said he came back from the injury “a hair too early” and that it “took awhile” to get back to speed.
Even with that rough stretch, he still finished with 32 points - 12 goals and 20 assists - after putting up 50 points in 2024-25, when he scored 18 times and added 32 assists. The turnaround down the stretch was real, too: Perfetti had 25 points in his final 44 games of 2025-26 after managing just seven in his first 24.
The Jets rewarded him anyway, and that says plenty about how they view him. He signed a five-year deal with a $6 million average annual value this summer after playing on a bridge contract worth $3.25 million annually. Not many players see their salary nearly double after a down season, and not many get bumped onto the top line either.
Head coach Scott Arniel and the Jets’ staff clearly believe last year’s dip was tied to the injury, not a drop in talent. So far, Perfetti is backing that trust up.
He had already made his expectations clear after signing the deal.
“I expect a lot from myself on the ice this year to take a major step from last year,” Perfetti said. “This is the most I’ve spent on the ice.
This is the best I’ve felt in the gym. Overall, the body and the mind are in a great spot.
Obviously now with being here for five years and kind of knowing what the future looks like, it’s really settling and at ease a lot more.” (From ‘Jets’ Perfetti motivated to prove his worth following ‘life-changing’ contract,’ Winnipeg Free Press, July 20, 2026.)
That’s the version of Perfetti the Jets need: not just productive, but steady. Winnipeg doesn’t have to ask him to score like a point-a-game star, though it would gladly take that. What the Jets need is a reliable offensive threat who lightens the load on Connor, Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi.
That trio scored 105 of Winnipeg’s 229 goals last season, and the lack of support behind them was a major reason the Jets slipped by 21 wins and missed the playoffs.
For now, the early returns have been encouraging. Winnipeg is off to a 4-1-1 start despite a tough schedule, and Perfetti will try to keep rolling Thursday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
In Other News...
Jets Injury Picture Just Got More Complicated Before Lineup Decisions
The Jets injury picture got a little busier ahead of their game against the Wild, with Scott Arniel offering updates on four players whose timelines all look a little different. Walker Duehr is getting close to returning to practice, Garrett Brown is still farther away, Elias Salomonsson is working his way back into game shape and Josh Morrissey remains day-to-day, leaving Winnipeg with several moving parts as it tries to sort out its roster.
Salomonssons situation is especially worth watching because Arniel said the club has been talking through possible lineup options for his return, even if nothing has been decided yet. For a team trying to manage health while keeping its defensive group steady, those choices could end up being as important as the injuries themselves, especially with Morrisseys status still unresolved and more clarity likely needed before lineup cards are finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Climb Back On Top As One Breakout Story Keeps Growing
The Jets were back on top of the Central Division after a 5-2 home win over the Wild, a result that felt especially important with the standings so tight. Cole Perfetti kept the momentum of his recent scoring run going with two more goals, stretching his total to five over his last six games and giving Winnipeg another jolt from a player whose production has become impossible to ignore.
Neal Pionk also played a key part, setting up two goals while handling the added responsibility that has come with Josh Morrisseys injury. With the back end missing its usual anchor, Pionk has had to take on the top defenseman role, and nights like this showed how much the Jets have leaned on that pairing of breakout offense and a blue line trying to hold firm. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Hellebuyck Standoff Is Turning Into A Bigger Jets Problem
Connor Hellebuycks standoff with the Winnipeg Jets has lingered through the offseason and into the new season, leaving one of the leagues premier goaltenders in an unusual holding pattern. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner asked for a trade over the summer, and while there has been interest from other teams, no deal has materialized. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is still looking for a meaningful return, and the gap between what Winnipeg wants and what the market has offered has kept the situation stuck.
For Hellebuyck, the wait is becoming costly in more ways than one. He remains suspended and is losing salary each day the impasse continues, adding another layer to a dispute that already carries plenty of pressure for both sides. The bigger question now is whether the financial hit, or something else, eventually nudges him toward a return, or whether he stays committed to the holdout while the Jets keep trying to solve a problem that is growing beyond just one player. [Read more 🡒]