Jets depth chart takes shape as off-season heats up

That Kevin Cheveldayoff was expecting the pace of the off-season to shift gears came as little surprise.

And while it appears as though there are still a few questions left unresolved when it comes to the Winnipeg Jets roster this fall — including a massive one involving starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck and his future with the organization — the depth chart is taking shape.

When he spoke to members of the media at the conclusion of Jets development camp, the general manager spoke about prioritizing a new contract for restricted free agent Cole Perfetti, who filed for arbitration on Sunday in what was more of a procedural move than an indicator of how negotiations might be going.

As Perfetti stated unabashedly after his exit interview, the Jets forward wants to be part of the long-term solution and there should be an opportunity for the player and the team to find common ground on a long-term deal with the Jets before an arbitration hearing takes place.

Perfetti and depth defenceman Tyrel Bauer are the final two restricted free agents that the Jets need to take care of.

On an unrelated note, forward Morgan Barron has only one year left on his current deal and has the ability to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time on July 1, 2027, so an extension for him feels like something that Cheveldayoff will look at doing this summer.

Adding some additional talent up front — whether it’s a more prominent name like Anthony Mantha or more of a reclamation project with potential like Eeli Tolvanen or Philipp Kurashev — looks like an area the Jets should be poking around at, though Cheveldayoff talked about having players who are motivated to bounce back and opportunities for several young players.

So, we shall see if other pieces to the puzzle come in via trade or free agency.

The uncertainty around Hellebuyck means that some items on this list might be put in pencil instead of permanent ink, but it’s time to take an early look at where the Jets stand.

Winnipeg Jets 2026-27 outlook

23-man roster (not including RFA Cole Perfetti and Viggo Bjorck — who has yet to sign his entry-level contract)

Projected cap hit: US$93,318,332

Projected salary cap space: US$10,681,668

*All figures according to PuckPedia

Goaltending

Goalies: two (US$12.25 million)

Connor Hellebuyck

Stuart Skinner

Depth:

Dom DiVincentiis

Thomas Milic

Isaac Poulter

The skinny: The Jets currently have five goalies under contract and the tandem of Hellebuyck and Skinner would have the potential to be one of the best in the NHL since Skinner could help reduce the workload of one of the league’s busiest goalies during the past decade.

If Hellebuyck is eventually moved and a goalie isn’t part of the package, the Jets would likely look at bringing in another netminder in free agency (Connor Ingram remains unsigned) since DiVincentiis and Milic likely require some additional seasoning before they’re ready to challenge for work as an NHL backup.

Adding Skinner means that Cheveldayoff can afford to be patient and hold firm on the asking price for Hellebuyck, but there’s no question that finding resolution one way or the other is the biggest question left to be sorted out during the off-season.

Defence

Defenceman: 8 (US$30.565 million)

Josh Morrissey-Elias Salomonsson

Dylan Samberg-Neal Pionk

Mario Ferraro-Dylan DeMelo

Haydn Fleury-Jack St. Ivany

Depth:

Isaak Phillips

Tyrel Bauer

Garrett Brown

Alfons Freij

Henry Thrun

The skinny: The recovery timeline for Salomonsson after shoulder surgery means that these won’t likely be the pairings to open the season, but this could be how things unfold as things progress.

St. Ivany brings right-shot experience and is someone who could see third-pairing minutes to start the campaign and chip in on the penalty kill, with DeMelo alongside Morrissey on the top pairing.

Ferraro brings a great deal of competitive spirit to the left side and he can play in the top-4 when opportunities arise.

Thrun just won a Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies and has NHL experience, while Phillips and Bauer showed well during the American Hockey League playoffs with the Moose and give the Jets additional depth and are players who could easily see NHL action this season.

Offence

Forwards: 13 (US $50.503 million)

Kyle Connor-Mark Scheifele-Cole Perfetti

Morgan Barron-Viggo Bjorck-Gabe Vilardi

Cole Koepke-Adam Lowry-Brad Lambert/Isak Rosen

Nino Niederreiter-Vladislav Namestnikov-Alex Iafallo

Nikita Chibrikov-Noah Gregor

(Perfetti and Bjorck are unsigned as of July 7)

Depth:

Brayden Yager

Walker Duehr

Danny Zhilkin

Parker Ford

Colby Barlow

Kevin He

Jacob Julien

Kieron Walton

Lucas Wahlin

Fabian Wagner

The skinny: This is the position that could still be in flux before training camp begins.

Bjorck made an outstanding impression during Jets development camp, showing incredible maturity both on and off the ice to the point he could be under consideration to at least start next season in the NHL. If that’s the case, it would make sense to surround him with two wingers with a combination of size, speed and skill.

Although there’s a world where attaching Barron and captain Lowry at the hip to create a checking line, this first pass has Barron up with Bjorck and Koepke getting a promotion. Vilardi has a long history on the top line with Scheifele and Connor, but if head coach Scott Arniel is looking for balance, there’s a case to be made for using Bjorck with Vilardi.

Once Perfetti gets his deal done, it’s easy to envision a world where he gets a promotion to the top line. With an extended off-season of training to ensure the ankle injury is left in the rearview mirror, Perfetti could be in line to eclipse 25 goals and 60-plus points, especially if the power play improves.

There’s certainly a chance that both Lambert and Rosen could be in the lineup regularly and Chibrikov could join them, but that probably means a move would be required with one of Niederreiter and/or Namestnikov, both of whom endured lengthy scoring droughts last season and are candidates for the type of bounceback seasons Cheveldayoff referenced.

Guys like Yager, Zhilkin, Ford, Duehr and newcomer Gregor are also in line to push for playing time, while several other prospects want to force their way into the discussion.

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe