Welcome, as we go through the wild summer free agency period, where we have seen trades, offer sheets, you name it. Then, there was a group of players that opted for arbitration, and one of them is the subject of our Cole Perfetti contract news from today. However, fortunately for Perfetti and the Winnipeg Jets, they were able to avoid salary arbitration with today’s deal. It is a five-year deal, with an average annual value of $6 million. Let’s discuss the details.
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The Winnipeg Jets and Cole Perfetti Contract Agreement
Hearing Cole Perfetti and the Winnipeg Jets avoid arbitration with a 5 x $6M AAV extension
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 15, 2026
Cole Perfetti was a Winnipeg Jet draft pick, 10th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent some time refining his craft in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose but has predominantly been an NHLer since being drafted. However, his time has not exactly been a smooth ride. Under the previous head coach Rick Bowness, it could be a struggle at times to get regular ice time. Now, that is not totally unexpected for a young, offensive-minded forward like Perfetti. But it was frustrating for Perfetti. Now that their current head coach Scott Arniel has been in charge, he has been more willing to give Perfetti more opportunities. That also synchs up well as he has gotten more mature and responsible in the years since being drafted.
As we have the Cole Perfetti contract to report, he is currently up to 290 career NHL regular season games, with 59 goals, 98 assists, for a total of 157 points. So, he is starting to build a solid NHL resume. In the most recent season in Winnipeg, he managed 12 goals, 20 assists, for 32 points in 68 games played. He did so in a career high of 15:37 of average ice time but was below his career average in shooting percentage. On his career he is a 11.1% shooter but dipped to 8.8% in 2025-26. You’d have to think a correction to the norm might just be in order in 2026-27, and the years to come.
In the end, this is a solid contract. Plus it was great to get the deal since, as we know the arbitration process can be a finicky subject. Now that the deal is signed, Perfetti can look to provide the Jets top-six forward group with the scoring punch they hope from him.
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