Perf-ect news for Jets fans Manitoba Miracle forward signs five-year contract with club By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 5:45 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

Cole Perfetti is betting on himself. And the Winnipeg Jets are counting on him to take the next step in his development.

In what has been an interesting off-season to date, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff knocked another important item off his to-do list as the Jets agreed to terms with Perfetti on a five-year contract that carries an average annual value of US$6 million.

Perhaps the most important part of this transaction was that it allowed the two sides to avoid going to arbitration next Monday, which would have been bad for business for both parties.

Although it’s easy to say that it’s just business, a one-year term in arbitration, no matter the amount, would have left neither side satisfied and it would have meant Perfetti was just one year away from the opportunity to explore unrestricted free agency.

That would have severely lowered the chances of a long-term marriage and storm clouds would have definitely been forming.

So, consider this a beaming ray of sunshine as an alternative.

In a summer where the Jets are dealing with a franchise pillar that is open to continuing his employment elsewhere, Perfetti was true to his word on the day of his exit interview when he didn’t hide that a long-term commitment was his preference.

“That would be a real honour to have the team show that and express that faith in you as a player and as a person. They want you to be here long-term. That they want you to be a player within this organization for the future,” Perfetti said at the time.

“I want to be a guy that can help get this team far.”

“Obviously, being in this organization that drafted me and being here for five years now, you feel like you’re a part of this and have been a part of this for a long time and you want to be a solution, a fix. I want to be a guy that can help get this team far.”

When he spoke with reporters at the end of the Jets’ development camp, Cheveldayoff reiterated that a new deal for Perfetti was a priority and he also backed up his words with action.

There’s no doubt Perfetti has endured some ups and downs since the franchise made him the 10th overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Two seasons were shortened due to injury and a string of healthy scratches were part of the learning curve, but so was a breakout year that included 18 goals and a career-high 50 points in 2024-25.

Those numbers dipped to 12 goals and 32 points last season, when Perfetti was hampered by a high ankle sprain he suffered in an exhibition game against the Calgary Flames.

This type of ailment was difficult to overcome and Perfetti never felt fully comfortable until after the Olympic break, but he persevered and showed plenty of flashes of a player who can be counted on for consistent production in a top-six forward role.

It’s important to remember that in a down year that was limited to 68 games, Perfetti was still fifth on the Jets in points and sixth in goals.

The Jets are banking that the best is yet to come for Perfetti, who spent considerable time on the top power unit last season but should be a staple on it moving forward.

Depending on what else happens with the forward group via trade or a late free agent addition, there’s also a chance that Perfetti is going to get an opportunity for a test drive on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, or at the very least be used in tandem with 2026 first-rounder Viggo Bjorck.

Perfetti has an underrated shot and his finishing ability pairs well with his vision and hockey sense. Defensive awareness and an ability to get under the skin of the opponent is also part of the package.

And he’s a player who has shown plenty of accountability during his time with the Jets. Not only does he hold himself to a high standard, he’s not afraid to point out the parts of his game that require some attention when things aren’t going particularly well.

At the same time, Perfetti has never wavered in his belief and nobody was more disappointed in how things went last season than himself. You can be sure he’s been using that as motivation during his training sessions in Ontario with Matt Nichol.

When it comes to the dollar amount, the 24-year-old gets a significant bump from the US$3.25 million he made during the past two seasons, when he didn’t have arbitration rights and signed as a restricted free agent.

Not many players are able to nearly double their salary after a down year, but that is both a byproduct of a rising salary cap and the Jets and Perfetti feeling it was more the exception than a sign of what is to come.

As for the term, this isn’t a matter of either side hedging its bets. Although Perfetti didn’t opt for the maximum term, he met the Jets in the middle and, by choosing five years, shows that he’s committed to the core group and believes in the direction the Jets are taking.

It also allows him to enter the open market at the age of 29, provided another extension hasn’t been signed before July 1 of 2031.

This also aligns him with expiring contracts for Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, captain Adam Lowry, Gabriel Vilardi and Neal Pionk.

By the time the two sides are heading back to the bargaining table, Perfetti will have had plenty of time to cement himself as someone who is not only supplying secondary scoring, but a player the Jets count on consistently as part of the primary attack.

Once that happens, Perfetti will receive another raise and have another chance to stick around and see where things go from here.

In the meantime, making a deal with a homegrown talent who wants to be here represents another important move for a franchise that has already added Mario Ferraro to bolster the back end and Stuart Skinner to enhance the depth in the crease.

There’s more work to be done for Cheveldayoff and company when it comes to roster construction, but there’s a strong likelihood this is going to go down as a deal that ages extremely well.

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