The Winnipeg Jets have already made a lot of noise this offseason, but the work is nowhere near finished.
They opened the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by taking Swedish centre Viggo Bjorck eighth overall, added six more players, then jumped into free agency with a flurry of signings that included defenseman Mario Ferraro and goaltender Stuart Skinner. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Ferraro and Skinner were his “number-one targets”, and that alone tells you how aggressive Winnipeg wanted to be out of the gate.
Even so, the biggest decisions are still ahead.
Cole Perfetti sits at the top of the list. The restricted free agent is coming off a down year offensively, finishing with 32 points - 12 goals and 20 assists - after putting up a career-best 50 points in 2024-25.
That dip matters, because his next deal will still eat into Winnipeg’s remaining $10.68 million in cap space. The Jets need to get him signed before training camp, and probably well before that.
Perfetti filed for arbitration on July 5, which was expected and doesn’t signal any drama. Cheveldayoff downplayed it last week, saying, “don’t get too excited… it’s just part of the whole thing.” The two sides can keep talking until the arbitration date, which has not been scheduled yet.
There are reasons the Jets may not want to rush into a massive raise. Perfetti missed the first 14 games last season after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the final preseason game, and when he returned in November, he still didn’t look fully settled until the new year.
In his exit interview, he said he came back “a hair too early” and that it “took awhile” to get back up to speed. He’s the 2020 first-rounder, but he hasn’t exactly put himself in position to demand a huge jump from the $3.25 million annual average value on his expired two-year bridge.
A longer-term contract still makes sense, though, and it would likely land in the $5-$6 million AAV range.
“That (getting a long-term deal) would be a real honour to have the team show that and express that faith in you as a player and as a person,” Perfetti said in April. “(That) they want you to be here long term.
That they want you to be a player within this organization for the future. But obviously, I can’t speak for their side.
I know where I stand, but can’t speak for them.”
Once Perfetti is handled, Winnipeg can turn to the rest of the market and whatever trade possibilities are still out there. The cap picture is tight.
If Perfetti gets paid, Cheveldayoff is really looking at about $4 or $5 million to work with for another UFA or two. If he still wants to push toward the $104 million cap and believes this group can rebound from a down 2025-26, he’ll need to squeeze value out of every dollar.
Anthony Mantha stands out as the top forward still available. His production has bounced around from year to year, but he just turned in a strong season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring a career-high 33 goals and 64 points. At 31, the right winger could fit nicely in Winnipeg’s middle six and help supply the secondary scoring the team lacked last season.
There are other forwards who could make sense, too. Eeli Tolvanen had 36 points for the Seattle Kraken last season, and Michael Bunting posted 33 points split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars.
Then there’s Patrik Laine, who could be brought back on a cheap base contract with performance incentives. That would be a major public relations move, at the very least, for the Jets’ second-overall pick in 2016.
Winnipeg should also keep an eye on the trade market, especially at centre. Shane Wright is being shopped by Seattle, and the Jets were linked to the 2021 fourth-overall pick before the 2026 Trade Deadline. Wright has 78 points in 169 career games and hasn’t yet matched the expectations that came with his draft slot, but he’s still only 22 and has one year left on his entry-level deal, which makes him affordable.
Then there’s the biggest name of all: Connor Hellebuyck.
He’s still a Jet, despite all the chatter and Kevin Weekes’ odd and misleading eyeballs Twitter/X post. Cheveldayoff doesn’t have to move him, but he should keep listening. If another team is willing to pay a massive price for a 33-year-old goaltender who could be entering the decline phase of his career, Winnipeg should at least be ready to consider it.
There’s been no credible reporting that Hellebuyck has asked for a trade, though plenty of people read his exit-interview comments that way. The noise only grew when Cheveldayoff said late last month that he was listening to proposals. Buffalo and Carolina have already made offers, but the Jets said those talks haven’t produced anything good enough to move on.
The ask should be enormous. Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and the 2025 Hart Trophy winner, and he still has five years left on his contract. Signing Skinner gives Winnipeg more room to explore a deal that doesn’t require an experienced goalie coming back in return.
The offseason is still young, but not that young. Training camp is only two months away, and the regular-season schedule comes out July 16.
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