‘It’s time to focus on hockey’ Perfetti settles for bridge deal, determined to prove long-term value to Jets By: Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre Posted: 2:38 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 24, 2024 Last Modified: 5:29 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 24, 2024 Updates

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Cole Perfetti is happy to have his first taste of the business side of the pro game behind him.

Fresh off signing a two-year bridge deal that carries an average salary of US$3.25 million, the 22-year-old received a round of stick taps when he ventured onto the ice with his teammates at Winnipeg Jets training camp on Tuesday.

“It’s nice to be back in camp and with the guys,” said Perfetti, who missed the first four days of on-ice sessions while negotiations were ongoing. “It sucks missing time. So, it’s just great to get that contract done and now it’s time to focus on hockey.”

What took so long for everyone to find some common ground?

“I think just trying to find a number that worked for both sides. I think obviously it’s the business and my first time through it all so I was kind of learning as we went along,” he said.

As difficult as it might be to hear your employer has a different view of your worth, Perfetti said there’s no lingering hard feelings. Several other Jets, including teammates Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor, have gone through similar experiences.

“You have to understand it’s a business and they’re not just going to give away money for no reason, it’s simple, everyone understands that. So it’s just trying not to take it personal,” Perfetti said.

“Obviously you know where you stand compared to other guys and you want to be in that range.”

Perfetti won’t be in the lineup on Wednesday for the home preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers, though head coach Scott Arniel said he will suit up against the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.

Perfetti reiterated he was open to signing a longer-term deal with the organization that drafted him 10th-overall in 2020.

“I love the city. I love this organization. I’ve tried to say that in the past and show that I wanted to be here. Obviously that wasn’t the direction we went and we’ll revisit it in two years,” he said.

“You have to understand it’s a business and they’re not just going to give away money for no reason, it’s simple, everyone understands that. So it’s just trying not to take it personal.”–Cole Perfetti

In that sense, Perfetti understands the situation and what it can mean for him moving forward.

“I’m going to use this year to try and take a big step with my game and hopefully play as good as I can and play as good as I can for this team and take that next step,” Perfetti said. “A bridge deal is all about, I wouldn’t say betting on myself, I would say I have two years to go prove what kind of player you are, what you can do for this organization.”

Perfetti is coming off a season that saw him record career highs in games played (71), goals (19), assists (19) and points (38) but he also went through a lengthy offensive drought (zero goals and two assists) in 23 games. There were plenty of signs of the player he can be, though he’s coming into this season with plenty to still prove.

“One hundred per cent. Obviously, I wasn’t too pleased with how it went personally for me down the stretch,” said Perfetti.

“Last year, all things considered, was still a pretty decent year. I started off really strong and proved that I can produce in this league. Obviously it didn’t go like that the whole year, but I’m just going to use that as motivation, take the good from it and take the learning curve and try to be the best that I can be.”

Perfetti has made an impression on his teammates during his three NHL seasons.

“We’re happy for him and happy that he got rewarded for his efforts,” said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo, who inked a four-year contract extension during the summer. “We think he’s a great player and we know we’re a different team with him than we are without him.

“He’s getting an opportunity to show what he can do. He’s highly skilled, he’s got very good vision, a very good feel for the game. He’s really good on his edges and he sees some plays that other guys don’t see. That’s a really special talent to have.”

Since the Jets used Tuesday’s session to focus on special teams, Perfetti’s initial linemates still aren’t known, though Arniel made it clear he would be on one of the top two lines and one of the power-play units.

“I love the city. I love this organization. I’ve tried to say that in the past and show that I wanted to be here.”–Cole Perfetti

The first-year Jets’ bench boss has expressed confidence in Perfetti on multiple occasions during the offseason — including several one-on-one chats they had — and he reiterated those feelings on Tuesday.

“He’ll be in one of those second-line spots, for sure. He recognizes how he needs to play, he knows now that he’s facing the other team’s top defencemen, top forwards. Whether it’s with the puck or without, he needs to do things at a quick level, at a high level and he has the hockey smarts to do that. He’s excited about where he’s getting to,” Arniel said.

Perfetti was given a shot at playing centre early last season, but Arniel said he’d prefer to start him on the wing this season.

“The hardest part for a centreman in the NHL is that you have to go from your defensive corner — you’re in the battle and 90 per cent of the time, you’re the low forward — and you’ve got to get up out of the hole and get into the rush and get to the other end of the rink on the offence,” Arniel said.

“And he showed last year playing on the wing, I thought he was real good. He can play both left and right side. He was actually good on the walls. It kind of got the puck in his hands a lot because he wasn’t coming out of the hole from the corners. He was actually getting the puck either first or second touch, and now, he’s going from blueline to blueline, being able to make plays that way.”

Hearing his head coach express faith in him publicly is something that should provide Perfetti with a boost as he moves into the new season.

“Confidence is huge in this league. When you’re confident in your game, your ability and yourself, you’re going to carry that confidence and swagger onto the ice and you’re going to make more plays,” said Perfetti, noting he put on eight or nine pounds of muscle over the summer.

“I think this is the best I’ve ever felt going onto the ice. I put on some weight and feel a lot stronger on the ice, a lot stronger off the ice.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

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