- Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Brad Lambert may be further from cracking the opening night roster than expected. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier today that Lambert was not skating with the top group. Head coach Scott Arniel added he might play in tomorrow night’s game against Minnesota but would not guarantee it. Lambert’s coming off of a dominant year with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose with 21 goals and 55 points in 64 games and it will be interesting to see what Winnipeg does with their second-line center if they send him back down to the AHL.
[SOURCE LINK]
Jets Rumors
Winnipeg Dealing With More Injuries On The Blue Line
It’s been nearly a week since Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Ville Heinola’s season was put in question due to an infection in his surgically repaired ankle. It doesn’t appear there’s any room for optimism in Manitoba after today’s meeting between head coach Scott Arniel and the press.
Arniel indicated that Heinola underwent surgery to remove the infection from his ankle and the team would have a clearer picture of his recovery timeline shortly. The team’s bench boss also shared that defenseman Logan Stanley “tweaked” something in yesterday’s preseason contest against the Edmonton Oilers and he will need testing over the next few days. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports there is worry within the Jets organization that Stanley will be out longer than day-to-day.
It would be a major three-month swing for Winnipeg’s blue line if Stanley can’t start the season on time. The team hoped Heinola and Stanley could fill valuable spots on the back end after losing Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon this offseason through a buyout and free agency, respectively. Now, it appears depth defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury will carry more responsibility than expected to start the year.
This could create major challenges for a Jets organization that has largely relied on their defense to win games over the last two years. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Winnipeg’s offense has finished 21st and 15th in goals per game, respectively, and 21st and 17th in shots compared to the rest of the league. They’ve had much better results on the flip side by finishing 10th and 1st in goals against per game over that same span and finishing 10th and 11th in shots against.
If the Jets are put into a situation early in the year where Coghlan and Fleury are expected to maintain even bottom-pairing minutes these results shouldn’t be expected to last. Winnipeg does have the benefit of deploying Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes but a weak defense has impacted even his performance in the past.
The Jets may need to pivot relatively soon to one of the existing free-agent options to hold their blue line steady or pick up one of the inevitable blue liners to hit the waiver wire over the next few days. The team will have a clearer picture of what they’re dealing with over the next couple of days and it could impact their decision-making leading into the start of the regular season.
Jets Notes: Perfetti, Penalty Kill, Ehlers
TSN’s John Lu is reporting that recently re-signed forward Cole Perfetti will start the season playing wing on the Winnipeg Jets second line. Perfetti has played center in the past but will get an opportunity to try out the wing which could open him up to more opportunities to use his playmaking. Perfetti isn’t the quickest skater, which is something that could hold him back from being a top-six center in the NHL this season, along with his inconsistency thus far in the NHL.
A top-six opportunity on the wing could be exactly what the 22-year-old Perfetti needs as his versatility can be put on full display. Perfetti’s playmaking and hockey sense are both high end and if he can mesh with his second-line teammates, he will most certainly top the career-high 38 points he had last season.
In other Jets notes:
- Scott Billick of The Winnipeg Sun is reporting that Jets center Mark Scheifele and winger Kyle Connor will be seeing time this season on the Jets penalty kill. Scott Arniel told the media that the two players are excited about the additional work which could open them up to an opportunity to use their strong hockey sense when shorthanded. The Jets are hardly the first team to use this strategy as the Edmonton Oilers used Connor McDavid on the penalty kill during the 2022-23 season with strong results. Winnipeg has used Connor on the PK in the past during the 2021-22 season with good numbers and Scheifele was also a regular contributor up until 2019.
- Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is reportedly learning a new role on Winnipeg’s power play (as per Scott Billick of The Winnipeg Sun). Ehlers has been working in the high slot in practice and has been studying Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho as well as the now-retired Patrice Bergeron. This season is a big one for the 28-year-old as he is in the final year of his seven-year $42MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next July. His name has popped up in trade rumors for several years now, but it appears he is embracing the summer changes in Winnipeg as he gets set for his 10th season with the Jets.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/24/24
Training camps have been ongoing across the league for almost a week already. With the preseason schedule now officially in full swing, teams will begin to think about making more sweeping cuts to their rosters. We’re keeping track as teams continue to trim their rosters on Tuesday. This article will be updated throughout the day as more transactions come in.
Boston Bruins (per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe)
D Loke Johansson (to QMJHL Moncton)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Jacob Battaglia (to OHL Kingston)
D Axel Hurtig (to WHL Calgary)
D Eric Jamieson (to WHL Everett)
F Hunter Laing (to WHL Prince George)
F Luke McNamara (released from ATO to OHL Kingston)
D Henry Mews (to OHL Ottawa)
F Luke Misa (to OHL Brampton)
D Étienne Morin (to QMJHL Moncton)
Chicago Blackhawks (per Tracey Myers of NHL.com)
D Ty Henry (to OHL Erie)
F Martin Misiak (to OHL Erie)
F Alex Pharand (to OHL Sudbury)
F Marek Vanacker (to OHL Brantford)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Charlie Elick (to WHL Brandon)
G Evan Gardner (to WHL Saskatoon)
F Tyler Peddle (to QMJHL Saint John)
Dallas Stars (per team announcement)
D Tristan Bertucci (to OHL Barrie)
F Emil Hemming (to OHL Barrie)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
F Connor Clattenburg (to OHL Flint)
G Nathaniel Day (to OHL Flint)
F William Nicholl (to OHL London)
F Dalyn Wakely (to OHL North Bay)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Cole Brown (to OHL Brantford)
G Zach Pelletier (released from ATO to QMJHL Gatineau)
F Kasper Pikkarainen (to WHL Red Deer)
D Spencer Sova (to OHL Brampton)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
D Quinton Burns (to OHL Kingston)
D Lukas Fischer (to OHL Sarnia)
F Jake Gudelj (released from ATO to WHL Tri-City)
F Adam Jecho (to WHL Edmonton)
D Matthew Mayich (to OHL Ottawa)
D Will McIsaac (to WHL Spokane)
F Tomas Mrsic (to WHL Prince Albert)
F Juraj Pekarcik (to QMJHL Moncton)
F Jakub Stancl (to WHL Kelowna)
G David Tendeck (released from PTO to ECHL Florida)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)
D Noah Chadwick (to WHL Lethbridge)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
D Ayodele Adeniye (released from PTO)
D Cam Allen (to OHL Guelph)
G Garin Bjorklund (to AHL Hershey)
F Grant Cruikshank (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
G Seth Eisele (released from PTO to ECHL South Carolina)
F Ryan Hofer (to AHL Hershey)
D Brad Hunt (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Jayden Lee (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Eriks Mateiko (to QMJHL Saint John)
D Leon Muggli (to NL Zug)
F Justin Nachbaur (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Aaron Ness (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Dmitry Osipov (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Garrett Roe (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Brennan Saulnier (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Matthew Strome (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Patrick Thomas (to OHL Brantford)
D Hudson Thornton (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Tyler Weiss (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Oasiz Wiesblatt (released from ATO to WHL Medicine Hat)
Winnipeg Jets (per team color analyst Mitchell Clinton)
D Dylan Anhorn (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
D Dawson Barteaux (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Kevin He (to OHL Niagara)
F Jacob Julien (to OHL London)
F Ben King (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Connor Levis (to WHL Vancouver)
F Chaz Lucius (to AHL Manitoba)
F Markus Loponen (to WHL Victoria)
F Henri Nikkanen (to AHL Manitoba)
D Ashton Sautner (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Kieron Walton (to OHL Sudbury)
F Danny Zhilkin (to AHL Manitoba)
Jets Sign Cole Perfetti To Two-Year Deal
The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly signed restricted free agent forward Cole Perfetti to a two-year bridge deal (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger). The deal comes with a $3.25MM AAV and will see the 22-year-old receive $3MM in the first year and $3.5MM in year two. The former 10th overall pick in 2020 will be a restricted free agent once again in 2026 and will require a qualifying offer of $3.5MM for Winnipeg to retain his rights.
The question entering this summer was whether Winnipeg and Perfetti could reach a long-term deal or whether both sides would opt to go short-term. The two-year deal makes sense given that the Jets likely want to see more from the Whitby, Ontario native, and Perfetti likely feels as though he has another gear to find.
Perfetti was good last season for the Jets posting 19 goals and 19 assists in 71 games but struggled in the second half of the season after a solid start. His offensive numbers represented a career-high in his brief three-year NHL career, but he could just be scratching the surface. Perfetti only averaged 13:35 of ice time per game last season and could see a big offensive bump if he gets consistent top-six minutes this year.
Perfetti will look to find consistency next season after an unbalanced 2023-24 in which he was healthy scratched 11 times and played just 10:56 total in the playoffs. He remains a gifted playmaker with incredible hockey sense, but his skating has been an issue through much of his professional career. Perfetti isn’t the fastest player on the ice, which can limit his ability to create open space for himself, particularly when the puck is on his stick.
No Progress Made On Perfetti Extension
- The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti made zero progress on an extension over the weekend reports Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. The negotiations appear to be a classic case of the player asking too much from the organization’s perspective and the team offering too low from the player’s perspective. Billeck also reported the Jets are unwilling to consider the recent short-term deal for Dawson Mercer and the long-term deal for Dylan Guenther as comparables to Perfetti. He’s still staying on the ice to prepare for the regular season but he and the team have a little over two weeks to get an extension done befor the start of the regular season on October 9th.
[SOURCE LINK]
Evening Notes: Marchessault, Lambert, Peterka, Puljujarvi
Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault had his number retired by the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts today, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to receive the honor.
Marchessault, now 33, appeared in 254 games for the Remparts in parts of four seasons from 2007 to 2011. He’s top 10 in franchise history in games played, goals (98, t-ninth), assists (141, sixth), and points (239, eighth). He and Marc-Édouard Vlasic are the only active NHLers to have their numbers retired by the Remparts.
The honor comes just over a year after Marchessault hoisted the Conn Smythe Trophy, helping the Golden Knights to their first championship in franchise history with a league-leading 13 goals and a +17 rating in 22 playoff games. He landed a five-year, $27.5MM deal with Nashville in free agency this summer.
Elsewhere from around the league this evening:
- A strong showing early on in training camp has Brad Lambert primed to make a real run at starting the regular season as the Jets’ second-line center, writes Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller. Lambert, 20, was a consensus top-five pick entering his draft year but fell to Winnipeg at 30th overall in 2022 after a disappointing showing. He got fully back on track in his first pro season last year, leading the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in scoring with 55 points (21 G, 34 A) in 64 games. “I think I’ve improved on my attention to detail,” he told Stoller. “Being able to play on the defensive side of the puck, being reliable and being able to react quicker. I’ve tried to evolve every aspect of my game.”
- Televised hockey is back with the first few preseason games taking place Saturday night. There’s a blowout going on in Buffalo with the Sabres’ mostly NHL roster dressed against some fringe Penguins talent, leading to some wide-open play. Buffalo’s John-Jason Peterka and Pittsburgh’s Jesse Puljujärvi have dueling hat-tricks, marking an especially important early showing for the latter. Puljujärvi, the fourth overall pick in 2016, had just four points in 22 games with Pittsburgh last season and needs a strong preseason showing to avoid landing on waivers.
Shane Pinto's Deal Being Used As Potential Comparable In Perfetti Talks
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Cole Perfetti’s camp is believed to be using Ottawa’s two-year, $7.5MM agreement as a comparable in contract discussions, one that the Jets would likely want to avoid. The numbers between the two are quite close; Perfetti has 75 points in 140 career NHL games while Pinto checks in at 70 in 140. While Pinto’s agreement was actually his third contract, he wasn’t arbitration-eligible which still makes it a legitimate comparable agreement. Clearly, Winnipeg is looking for this deal to come in below that price point.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Winnipeg Jets
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We wrap up our look at the Central Division with Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Jets
Current Cap Hit: $82,223,691 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None for players projected to be full-time regulars.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Mason Appleton ($2.167MM, UFA)
F Morgan Barron ($1.35MM, RFA)
F Nikolaj Ehlers ($6MM, UFA)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby ($775K, UFA)
G Kaapo Kahkonen ($1MM, UFA)
F Rasmus Kupari ($1MM, RFA)
F Alex Iafallo ($4MM, UFA)
F Vladislav Namestnikov ($2MM, UFA)
D Neal Pionk ($5.875MM, UFA)
D Dylan Samberg ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Gabriel Vilardi ($3.4375MM, RFA)
Ehlers has been in trade speculation for a while now but nothing has happened on that front and he’ll start the season with the Jets. While he is a bit of a streaky player and has had some injury woes, he has averaged at least 0.74 points per game (a 61-point pace per 82 games) in five straight years. That type of overall consistency should earn him another long-term deal with an extra million or so on the cap hit. Iafallo was part of last summer’s Pierre-Luc Dubois trade but wasn’t able to provide the same level of scoring despite spending a lot of time in the top six. If he has another stat line like that in 2024-25, he could be looking at a small dip but if he gets back to the 40-point range, he could check in a bit higher than his current cost.
Vilardi was arguably the key piece of the Dubois trade. A 2017 first-round pick, he had shown flashes of being a top-six piece in Los Angeles but struggled to do so consistently and dealt with injuries. With Winnipeg, he was consistently productive but the injury struggles continued as he missed 35 games. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old showed that he can be a core piece for the Jets and is someone who they’ll want to have around for the long haul although the injury history will be a complicating factor. Even so, there’s a good chance his next contract will start with at least a six which will come in well past his $3.6MM qualifying offer.
Appleton stayed healthy last season after battling injuries in 2022-23, reaching a new career-high in points in the process with 36. A true middle-six winger who moves up and down the lineup, he should be able to add at least $1MM to his current price tag on a multi-year deal; it could approach $4MM if he puts up a similar point total this season. Namestnikov hasn’t had much success on the open market in recent years as he has struggled to find a long-term fit. While he’s coming off his best point total since 2017-18 with 37, he’d need another season like that to get to the $3MM mark. As things stand, another two-year deal around $2.5MM per season might be where he winds up.
Barron was limited to primarily fourth-line ice time last season and he’s likely to have a similar role this season which won’t help his cause. He’s owed a $1.4MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights so if his production dips a bit in 2024-25, he could become a non-tender candidate. Failing that, a small raise to around $1.5MM to $1.75MM could be achievable. Kupari was also brought in from Los Angeles last summer but struggled mightily with his new team. Owed a $1.1MM qualifying offer next summer, that seems on the high side unless he’s able to secure a full-time roster spot and have a bit of success this season. Jonsson-Fjallby has been up and down in recent years while holding a fringe role when he has been in the NHL. Accordingly, it’s likely that he’ll stay at or near the minimum moving forward.
Pionk’s best season was his first with Winnipeg back in 2019-20. Since then, he has still shown flashes of being an above-average blueliner but has struggled somewhat with consistency. Having said that, he can still log over 20 minutes a night without much issue, has passed 30 points in five straight years, and is a right-shot player. That’s a strong combination heading into free agency, positioning himself for likely another long-term deal with a price tag starting with a six. Samberg has been limited to third-pairing duty thus far but has fared well in that role. Still, he’ll need to take on a bigger role if he wants any sort of significant raise from the $1.5MM offer he’ll be owed in the summer with arbitration rights.
Kahkonen struggled last season with San Jose but did well in a small sample size with New Jersey to finish the year. Still, the lasting memory of his time with the Sharks didn’t help his cause in free agency, resulting in this one-year deal at a sizable pay cut. Given Winnipeg’s recent track records with backups, this could be a good landing spot for him but he’ll need to come closer to maintaining his numbers with the Devils to get back to the $2.75MM of his last contract.
Signed Through 2025-26
G Eric Comrie ($825K, UFA)
F Kyle Connor ($7.143MM, UFA)
F David Gustafsson ($835K, RFA)
D Ville Heinola ($800K, RFA)
F Adam Lowry ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Colin Miller ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Logan Stanley ($1.25MM, UFA)
Connor will be the next big-ticket contract that the Jets have to contend with relatively quickly. The 27-year-old has emerged as a legitimate top-line threat, averaging more than a point per game over the past five seasons combined while passing the 30-goal mark in four of those. If that continues over the next two years, he will make a strong case to become Winnipeg’s highest-paid player with a price tag in the $9MM range.
Lowry doesn’t put up the offensive numbers to necessarily be worth this money but as a strong defensive player as well, he’s well worth the contract. Best suited as a third-line pivot, we’ve seen some of those players push past $4MM lately and it stands to reason that he’ll be able to do so as well. As for Gustafsson, he’s still working on securing himself a full-time role in the lineup. He’ll need to do that to have a chance at pushing past the $1MM threshold on his next agreement.
Miller didn’t play much with Winnipeg after they acquired him at the trade deadline but it didn’t stop them from re-signing him. It’s the second straight contract in which he has accepted a pay cut, a reflection of his diminishing role. At $1.5MM, they don’t need him to do much but they’ll be hoping he can at least get back to the 15-20-point range.
Stanley and Heinola have seemingly been on shaky ground for a while now but they’re still in Winnipeg. Stanley has been a frequent healthy scratch, especially the last two years which led to a trade request that went unfulfilled. The two years is a small showing of faith but if he’s still in this role at the end of this contract, it’d be shocking to see him re-signed. Heinola made the team in training camp last year but was injured in the final preseason game and once he was cleared to return, he stayed in the minors the rest of the way. Playing time was hard to come by when he was healthy and he’s likely on the fringes again although he’s now waiver-eligible. Still, this is a low-risk move that buys more time to evaluate and if Heinola can produce like he did in the minors (and stay healthy which is already an issue again), this could be a team-friendly pact quite quickly.
Comrie is back for his third stint with the team. The second one saw him put up his best performance before going to Buffalo in free agency where he struggled. It’s possible that he pushes for the backup spot but considering that he cleared waivers last season, they may view him as a third-string option. Until Comrie can re-establish himself as a regular backup, this is more the price range he’s likely to stay in.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Nino Niederreiter ($4MM, UFA)
Niederreiter has settled in as a player who should hover around 20 goals and 35-40 points per season. At this price point, that’s neither a bargain nor a bad value deal as reliable secondary scoring can be hard to come by. He’ll be 35 when this contract is up, however, which means he might be going year-to-year from there.
Appleton Wants To Re-Sign In Winnipeg
- Jets winger Mason Appleton is entering the final year of his contract, making him eligible for a contract extension. The 28-year-old told reporters including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that the perfect world scenario is that he remains in Winnipeg. Appleton has spent most of his six-year NHL career with them aside from one season in Seattle after being picked in expansion. Appleton is coming off a career year that saw him produce 14 goals and 22 assists, putting him in line for a raise on his current $2.167MM cap charge.