With free agency about to open, the Jets are heading into the market with real business to do and enough cap room to make it happen. Winnipeg has a little more than $19MM in flexibility, and while a big slice of that will go toward Cole Perfetti whenever his next deal is signed, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff still has room to work.
Perfetti is the name at the center of it all. His bridge contract is up, and the same debate that followed him before that deal remains: what is he really worth?
He put up 50 points in 2024-25, which is the kind of production that can justify a long-term contract in the $7MM AAV range. But that number comes with a catch - it’s the only time he’s reached that mark.
In his other three seasons, he hasn’t gotten past 40 points, including a 32-point platform year last season. If Winnipeg isn’t ready to pay top-six money on the strength of one big year, another short-term arrangement would make sense.
The problem there is timing. With only two years left before he becomes UFA-eligible, that likely means a one-year deal in the $4.5MM to $5MM range, and that comes with its own risk.
Beyond Perfetti, the Jets’ unrestricted group brings a few different kinds of questions.
Eric Comrie’s two seasons back in Winnipeg have gone in opposite directions. His first year was solid enough to spark talk about giving him more starts and easing some of the load on Connor Hellebuyck.
Last season, though, the chance came when Hellebuyck was injured, and it didn’t go well. The 30-year-old finished with a .890 SV% and a 3.13 GAA, both below average.
If a club still sees him as a backup, he could climb to the $1.5MM range after making $1MM over the last two seasons. If teams view him more as a third-string option, he may have to stay near that old number.
Ville Heinola is in a different spot. He was once one of Winnipeg’s more promising prospects, but he hasn’t fully matched that billing.
After clearing waivers last season, he spent most of the year in AHL Manitoba and now qualifies for Group Six free agency. That doesn’t usually create a huge market, but Heinola could be one of the more interesting names in that class.
Teams may look at him as a possible third-pairing puck-mover, and if they buy into that idea, he could land a deal above the minimum salary.
Gustav Nyquist also enters the summer with a complicated résumé. He’s only two years removed from a 75-point season, but the last two years have looked nothing like that version of him.
Winnipeg brought him in expecting secondary offense, and that never really arrived. He had just one goal and 11 assists in 51 games last season while averaging less than 13 minutes per night.
At 36, he may still appeal to teams that think their system fits him better, but after earning $3.25MM with the Jets, he’s likely looking at something closer to half that amount. A one-year deal with bonuses may be his best route.
The Jets also have other RFAs to keep in mind: Tyrel Bauer and Rasmus Kupari, who is signed in Switzerland.
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