The Winnipeg Jets continue to be in off-season mode as the NHL Conference Finals begin tomorrow in Colorado. All of the Jets players at the 2026 IIHF World Championship are making some kind of impact with their home country so far, and the two week tournament is almost halfway into the round robin. Another reminder that the official start of the Jets Nation “year in review” series will be at the start of June, so today the focus shifts to one of the Jets current pending restricted free agents: Cole Perfetti.

The 24-year old from Ontario finished 5th on the Jets in scoring despite missing the first 14 games of the regular season due to injury. Having to return from injury after the first month of the season definitely affected Perfetti’s production, leading to a “down” season. In 68 games, Perfetti scored 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. The former 10th overall pick from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was poised for a “breakout” season, but things didn’t go his way in his final year of his current contract.

Perfetti’s current contract was a “bridge” deal for the last two seasons at $3.25 million per season. Factoring in his injury shortened season, it’s projected that Perfetti will sign another short-term deal with the Jets this off-season. The interest is definitely mutual from both sides, and it’ll be up to the Jets to construct a contract that makes sense for the restricted free agent forward.

The flashes of excellence were still seen in Perfetti’s game this season, although not as often as some would have expected or liked. With the departure of Nikolaj Ehlers in the last off-season, Perfetti was locked into the 2nd line wing with various linemates throughout the season. The Jets continue to see the high potential for Perfetti, but both sides will benefit from another “bridge” deal this off-season.

Current projections have Perfetti’s next deal in the $4 million to $5 million range on a 1 to 2 year deal. If Perfetti goes out in the 2026-27 season and has a “true” breakout season, his next extension could be the one that locks him up long term in the Jets organization with a higher salary adjusted to the rising salary cap. The Jets want to make sure Perfetti continues to improve his game before giving him a long-term deal, while Perfetti wants to prove his potential in order to secure that important long term deal in the upcoming prime of his career.

Rewinding to the 2024-25 season, Perfetti posted a career high 50 points in an injury free 82 game season. This season Perfetti’s point per game dropped from 0.61 to 0.47, but some grace can be given due to his injury and the overall dip in production from a lot of Jets players in a non-playoff season. A more concerning dip was Perfetti’s shooting percentage, which was only 8.8% this season after it was 13.4% and 12.6% the last two seasons. Perfetti hopes to re-gain his scoring touch next season, with hopefully a new addition to the Jets 2nd line to assist his production along the season.

Perfetti has stated in his end of season media availability that he ultimately wants to do what’s best for the organization. The free agency “process” is still pretty new for the 24-year old, so he’ll take some time this off-season before he starts to consider his options. If all goes well, Perfetti will be back on the Jets 2nd line for the opening game of the 2026-27 season. A new linemate (a top-six addition) and some more consistency from Perfetti’s game will lead to a much better 2026-27 season for a key piece of the Jets forward group.

Mark Scheifele, Dylan DeMelo and Gabriel Vilardi have Wednesday off, before Team Canada takes on Team Norway on Thursday morning at 9:20 am CDT. Sascha Boumedienne didn’t end up making the final Swedish team, as he’ll now just have to watch as his country battles Team Slovenia at 1:20 pm CDT on Wednesday. Ville Heinola and Finland have a day off on Wednesday, before what should be a low scoring battle against Team Latvia Thursday morning at 9:20 am CDT. Nino Niederreiter and Team Switzerland’s next game will be against a surprising 3-0 Austria team on Wednesday morning at 9:20 am CDT.

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