NHL Rumors: Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets Seem Confident a Deal Will Get Done

Cole Perfetti and the Winnipeg Jets seem confident they’ll reach a deal, and it will likely be a bridge deal.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Sid’s Coming Back episode, on Winnipeg Jets RFA forward Cole Perfetti

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Bukauskas: “We’ve got another player who was in Vegas, Elliotte, that doesn’t have a contract signed, that’s still in the very early stages of his career, and that’s Cole Perfetti of the Winnipeg Jets.

And it’s interesting, you know, it was, it was a maybe a little bit of a surprise with the fact that he didn’t have a new contract done, that he was still the Jets representative here at this event, because he knew he was going to be facing the same question over and over again about where things stood in the negotiations.

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But, you know, he came into our room, spent some time with our colleague, Luke Fox. This was a young player who was confident, had no problem answering the questions he knew was coming his way. It just seemed like this was a young player that’s very comfortable in his own skin and knows that there’s a path to getting something done sooner rather than later.

Friedman: “I’m trying to remember a situation Kyle, where a player without a contract showed up at this. I’m not saying it’s never happened, because I can’t say that for certain, but I don’t remember it ever happening.

And I think it says a lot about Perfetti, and the Jets, and where everybody thinks this is going, that he was here. Now I’ve said before, and I still believe it to be true, I don’t think this will be a term deal. I think it’s going to be a bridge, a short-term contract. I would be surprised if it was anything different than that.

And while both sides are still being really quiet on this, as I left Vegas on Thursday, I still was under the impression there was a bit of a gap still to solve. Always reminding people that this could change with one phone call.

So we’ll see where it goes. But overall, the fact that Perfetti showed up in this situation is a good omen for everybody involved here, including the Jets fans.

I thought his quotes to Luke were really interesting. You know about what Rick Bowness told him. I did the same thing with Jason Robertson and, and Roope Hintz, and now they’re stars.

Roope Hintz, by the way, he cut his hair short. It’s blonde. The Dallas players are calling him the Real Slim Shady. That’s his, that’s his new nickname right now, outstanding. Laughing when he told us that,

But you know, he said he disagreed, but you know, he understood what, at least Bowness was thinking. You know, he was, he was very calm and he was very rational discussing it. And we’ve seen with some of these conversations, particularly Swayman in Boston, it’s really spilled out into the media, and it hasn’t been pretty. We’re not there yet.

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I think that Perfetti would have preferred this get started on earlier, but he’s not panicking or like in any kind at least right now, he’s not in any kind of frame of mind where he’s saying, ‘I’m angry at the Jets or this is going to be a problem.’ Although, you know, once training camp starts, you’re hoping, for everybody’s sake, that this is sorted out.”