The Winnipeg Jets have locked in Cole Perfetti on a five-year deal worth an average annual value of $6,000,000, keeping the 24-year-old forward in place after another productive season in Winnipeg.
Perfetti put up 32 points, including 12 goals and 20 assists, along with 20 penalty minutes in 68 games for the Jets in 2025-26. He also logged a career-best 15:37 of ice time per game, a sign of how much trust he earned over the course of the year.
The Whitby, Ont. native was originally selected by Winnipeg with the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and his offensive numbers have continued to climb. In 2024-25, he set career highs with 50 points and 32 assists across 82 games.
Perfetti also delivered one of the biggest moments of Winnipeg’s playoff run. In the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored the latest tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history to help the Jets get past the St. Louis Blues in their First Round series.
Across five regular seasons with Winnipeg, Perfetti has totaled 157 points, with 59 goals and 98 assists, in 290 games. He has added six points, split between three goals and three assists, in 14 playoff games, along with two penalty minutes.
On the international stage, Perfetti has worn Canada’s colors several times. His highlight there came at the 2021 World Championship, where he helped Canada win gold and finished with two goals and four penalty minutes in 10 games.
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The Jets locked up Cole Perfetti on a five-year deal and avoided arbitration, a tidy piece of business for a club that has spent plenty of time this summer dealing with bigger-picture uncertainty. Perfetti gives Winnipeg a young core piece to build around, and the move at least settles one important roster question while the rest of the offseason chatter keeps swirling.
Ryan McLeods name has surfaced in the ongoing speculation around Connor Hellebuyck, adding another layer to a situation that already has plenty of moving parts. For Jets fans, the interesting wrinkle is that Perfetti and McLeod know each other well from their days together with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL, which makes the rumor mill feel a little more connected than usual even as the larger question remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
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The catch is that nothing is being handed to him. St. Ivany will have to earn his place on the right side, where a third-pairing job or even the seventh-defenseman role is up for grabs, and the Jets will want to see steady play from him before they commit. His camp performance will matter, because the path to the roster depends on consistency as much as upside. [Read more 🡒]
