NHL Rumors: Winnipeg Jets restricted free agent forward Cole Perfetti

Will the Winnipeg Jets and Cole Perfetti go with a bridge deal or a long-term contract?

TSN: Chris Johnston on SportsCentre with Jay Onrait talking about the latest on Winnipeg Jets restricted free agent forward Cole Perfetti.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Onrait: “Okay, so let’s, let’s deal with a more actionable item, as you described it. Let’s talk about Cole Perfetti, a restricted free agent, Winnipeg Jets. Really came into his own more last year with the team. Got a bit more ice time. Any update on Perfetti’s negotiations with Winnipeg, CJ?

Johnston: “Well, they’re still grinding away at it, I would say. And you know, what’s interesting about Perfetti is, you know, there might be an inclination here to worry, right? I mean, we’ve seen some other players, Rutger McGroarty, a prospect in Winnipeg, you know, essentially asked for a trade this summer. Was ultimately dealt to Pittsburgh.

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But there’s none of that dynamic this time around. I mean, Perfetti has gone so far as to come out in the media this week and say he wants to be in Winnipeg. He went down to the NHL media tour in Vegas on behalf of the Jets. Which is kind of an unusual thing for a player to do when they’re in the midst of some uncertainty about their contract.

And I think because, you know, the Jets desire to keep him, his willingness to be there, that they’ll find a way. But the reality is, it was not the best of seasons last year for Perfetti.

He’s seeing some of his peers cash in on their second NHL contract. You can understand what he might be inclined to want a longer term deal and some of the big money others have got. Perhaps they can find a happy medium and more of a bridge-type of contract. I think that’s a little bit of the way the discussions have been going on.

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But there’s no red flags here in terms of this getting done. No sign of animosity. And I think that’s a great thing, obviously, for the Jets and for Perfetti.