Matt Savoie’s first NHL season has put Edmonton in a familiar kind of bind: pay now, or wait and risk paying a lot more later.
Savoie finished with 37 points in 82 games as a 22-year-old, working mostly in a depth role but also getting looks on the top line beside Connor McDavid. That line of production looks awfully close to the rookie-year platform Cole Perfetti gave Winnipeg before the Jets eventually handed him a five-year deal worth $6 million per season. Perfetti had 38 points in 71 games at nearly the same age, which is why the comparison has landed so naturally in Edmonton.
The obvious question is whether the Oilers should jump straight to that kind of term-and-money commitment for Savoie. The market for restricted free agents is shifting, and there’s a real argument that Edmonton ought to move quickly if it believes what it saw this season.
But the Perfetti story also shows why that decision is not so simple.
Winnipeg did not hand Perfetti the big extension right after that comparable rookie season. First came a two-year bridge at $3.25 million.
The five-year, $30 million contract arrived three years later, after Perfetti broke out for 50 points in 2024-25. He followed that with a down season in 2025-26, but there was still enough there to convince the Jets he could produce at a high level.
That path carries a lesson for Edmonton. The safer route is to do what Winnipeg did: buy time, gather more evidence, and see whether Savoie’s role translates into real, lasting production.
He already flashed some useful signs as a rookie, including top-line minutes, penalty-kill workhorse duty and five power-play goals. Those are the kinds of details that can justify a bigger bet.
At the same time, there’s a strong case for paying early. Cap certainty matters, especially for a team already carrying McDavid and Draisaitl money, even if McDavid is locked in for only two more seasons. If Savoie keeps trending up, a $5 million number could look like a steal down the road.
Still, Winnipeg’s approach also shows the risk of waiting. The Jets took an extra contract cycle, and even a bad year, before they committed to Perfetti. They ended up with what looks like a reasonable deal anyway.
The wrinkle now is that the market may not stay still. The Leo Carlsson offer sheet has changed the temperature around these negotiations, and the numbers are climbing faster than expected. That makes a long-term Savoie deal after just one season more tempting - and more dangerous.
The Oilers have a real choice here: trust the rookie-year signals and lock him in now, or take the bridge-deal route and hope the price doesn’t explode before they’re ready.
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For the Jets, the move keeps a homegrown skill player in the fold at a time when theyve been looking to build around their emerging core. Perfetti has already shown he can contribute on a bigger stage, too, adding to his rsum with international success for Canada, and Winnipeg is betting that his next chapter will bring even more production and responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
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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 🡒]
Jets Added A Right Shot Defender Fans Should Watch Closely
Jack St. Ivany is the latest right-shot defenseman to land on Winnipegs radar, and the move gives the Jets another young option to sort through as training camp approaches. He arrived with some offensive promise after splitting last season between Pittsburgh and its AHL affiliate, which is enough to make him worth a closer look for a club that is always weighing depth and fit on the back end.
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 🡒]