Entering the 2025-26 NHL season, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Winnipeg Jets is when they’ll extend star forward Kyle Connor, who is entering the final year of his current contract.

The Michigan native is coming off a career-best 97-point campaign, falling just three shy of his first-ever 100-point season. There’s no debate about his status as at least a top-10 left winger in the NHL, arguably top five, and he’s due for a significant raise.

Connor is in the final year of a seven-year, $49.99 million contract with a $7.14 million annual cap hit. With free agency looming in 2026, the Jets will likely need to offer between $10–12 million per year to keep him in Winnipeg. Still, there’s always the chance he takes a discount, much like Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck did when they signed identical seven-year, $8.5 million AAV deals. Both could have earned more elsewhere but chose to stay in Manitoba’s capital, and Jets fans are hoping Connor follows the same route.

Insider Michael Russo eased some concerns around Connor’s contract talks, noting, “Kyle Connor I hear wants to stay in Winnipeg.” That’s the kind of reassurance Jets fans want to hear about their superstar forward.

There isn’t yet a clear timeline for when a deal might get done, but it’s clear both sides are actively engaged in discussions.

Last season, Connor suited up for all 82 games, scoring 41 goals and adding 56 assists for 97 points. He posted a +17 rating, logged 25 penalty minutes, and followed it up with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Drafted 17th overall by Winnipeg in 2015, Connor has grown into one of the NHL’s top goal scorers. Now the countdown is on to see if the Jets can lock him up before free agency draws near.