Winnipeg Jets Free Agency Countdown: Forward Edition 

Winnipeg Jets free agency countdown: Forward edition 

Many conclusions can be drawn from the Winnipeg Jets’ 2023-2024 calendar year.

The National Hockey League’s fourth-best team in the regular season finished with an exceptional 52-24-6 record (110 points); they led the entire NHL with the least number of goals against (199) over the 82-game calendar, and Connor Hellebuyck once again proved to the hockey world he is one of the best netminders in the league, posting stellar numbers across 60 starts.

Still, the biggest conclusion from this season was that the Jets weren’t good enough; they once again proved that when the stakes were the highest — in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — they will falter at the hands of expectation.

Once Winnipeg ended up on the wrong side of the handshake line against the Colorado Avalanche, it was clear to Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff that the current roster could use some upgrades.

With the NHL’s free agent signing period beginning on July 1st, paired with the Jets' need of shaking up their forward group this offseason, the opportunity is now to preview Winnipeg’s free agency situation.

Game On's Massimo De Luca-Taronno assesses Winnipeg's needs up-front and examines potential fits through signings, and if need be, trades.

Before looking to pursue players on the free agent market, Winnipeg needs to ensure business is taken care of with its own free agents.

UFAs and RFAs: David Gustafsson (RFA), Sean Monahan (UFA), Cole Perfetti (RFA), and Tyler Toffoli (UFA)

Having missed significant time this season with a lower-body injury, Gustafsson has struggled to even crack the Jets’ lineup when healthy. The current logjam of forwards in Winnipeg's bottom-six has certainly made it difficult for the 2018 second-round draft pick to establish himself as a full-time player in the lineup. In the past two seasons, the Swedish forward has played only 85 games with Winnipeg, posting 13 points in that span, albeit while playing fourth-line minutes. The Jets do value him for his solid defensive game and penalty-killing abilities, which is why he played in four post-season games against the Avalanche. He should most likely be inked to a two-year deal in the $1 million AAV range.

Now, compared to Gustafsson, Perfetti is a more complicated discussion. Playing in a top-six role for most of the 2023-2024 campaign, Perfetti’s season was filled with both dominant and dry spells. The Whitby, ON. product experienced the highs of an eight-game point streak and a five-game goal streak, along with the lows of a 23-game goalless streak and a 15-game pointless streak. 

The inconsistencies of the Jets’ 2020 10th overall pick took him from the second line to the fourth line and then eventually the press box, serving as a healthy scratch for a number of games during the regular season and the playoffs (only playing in Game 5). Although Perfetti appeared to have handled the healthy scratches with a mature attitude, there is no doubt some of Perfetti’s confidence took a hit. Moving forward, Cheveldayoff and newly-hired head coach Scott Arniel know that for Perfetti to translate into the player they know he is capable of becoming, he needs to play in a top-six role. That said, with the inconsistencies of this past season and injuries the season prior, it’s more than likely the 22-year-old will be signed to a two-year deal in the range of $3 million annually.

Signing Perfetti is certainly a priority for Winnipeg, but there is less of a time crunch with him compared to the two UFAs on this list: Sean Monahan (29) and Tyler Toffoli (32).

It’s been reported by multiple NHL insiders, such as Elliotte Friedman, Darren Dreger, and Chris Johnston, that the Jets are currently working on re-signing Monahan, which is a good sign for Jets fans to be optimistic. As for what a contract may look like, it would only be pure speculation, but a salary coming in at around the $4.5-5 million range seems fair if there is reasonable term involved.

As for what the Jets’ plans are for Toffoli, it appears the highly sought-after piece they acquired on deadline day will be testing the free-agent market. With Winnipeg only having a projected salary cap of $8.7 million this offseason after signing defenceman Dylan Demelo, the Jets only have so much money to go around. It is likely that, at the time of making the trade in March, Cheveldayoff knew Toffoli would strictly be a rental to his club for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Although it hurts to see a yearly 30-plus goal scorer leave town, Toffoli could be demanding north of $5 million a year, and for a second-line winger who struggled with speed and to consistently produce offence in the Jets’ lineup, that’s simply too rich. 

Upgrading The Frontlines

Based on their performance against the Avalanche in the playoffs, the Jets showed that their current roster construction can not keep up with the pace of playoff hockey. Through all five games, Colorado was faster, more aggressive, and imposed its will on Winnipeg. If they want to improve upfront, the Jets should be looking to get bigger and quicker, as these are two qualities featured on every Stanley Cup-winning team. That said, if Winnipeg wishes to upgrade its roster by way of free agency, it will need to shed some cap. 

Coming over to the Jets last offseason in the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings, 30-year-old Alex Iafallo could be a piece Winnipeg looks to move on from to create cap flexibility. Iafallo is a productive middle-six forward, possessing an elite defensive mind while also chipping in a bit of offence, however, the way the Jets utilized him this season makes him a tradeable asset.

Outside of being promoted to a top-six role when injuries plagued the Jets for portions of the season, Iafallo spent most of his time on the fourth line. He was certainly effective in that role, but with a glaring annual cap hit of $4 million, he is certainly a more expendable piece.

UFA Targets: Daniel Sprong, Chandler Stephenson, and Yakov Trenin

Daniel Sprong has been quite the journeyman so far in the NHL, already playing for five different clubs: the Penguins, Ducks, Capitals, Kraken, and Red Wings. Now in the prime of his career at 27-years-old, Sprong is a player who’s only come under the radar within the past two years, putting up back-to-back 40-plus point seasons. In the 2022-2023 season, the right-shot forward had what was, by all accounts, a breakout season, collecting 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points (his previous best was 20 points in 2020-2021), and then he followed up those career-best numbers with 43 points in Detroit this past season.

If Winnipeg’s pursuit of re-signing Sean Monahan falls through, Chandler Stephenson would be the ideal replacement. Coming off a 51-point season with the Vegas Golden Knights this past season, the 6-foot, 210-pound centre/winger racked up 16 goals and 35 assists in 75 games.

Stephenson has speed galore; he’s a pain to play against because he knows how to use his foot speed properly; he closes the gap on defenders quickly on the forecheck; he can make plays; and he also carries an underrated release with him. The Jets saw these skills firsthand two years past in the post-season where Winnipeg lost in the first round to Vegas in just five games. Stephenson’s most valuable asset, however, is his experience. The two-time Stanley Cup champion (Capitals, 2018; Golden Knights, 2023) knows what it takes to win in this league — he’s climbed the mountain twice already and can provide the Jets’ locker room with some valuable mentorship. 

Given Winnipeg’s track record of landing free agents, or lack thereof, it seems unlikely Stephenson would commit long-term to Winnipeg, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt for Cheveldayoff to do his due diligence by seeing what the market is for a player of that calibre. The price may be high, but if the Jets are aware of Stephenson’s merit, they know he would likely be worth every cent.

Yakov Trenin is playoff hockey personified. He’s a big man who plays a heavy, straightforward game. Trenin is exactly what the Jets need more of in their middle-six/bottom-six lineup, and he would fit perfectly on Winnipeg’s checking line with captain Adam Lowry. Playing against the Avalanche in the playoffs, the Jets’ staff would have enviously watched Trenin and how well his game translates to the post-season. He may not put up a lot of points, but he knows how to play the body and apply pressure to the defence with an established forecheck, a big issue the Jets couldn’t properly deal with in the playoffs. Signing a player like Trenin would point Winnipeg in the direction of playing a more playoff-style type of game, something that has been missing in past years.

As great as it would be for the Jets to take advantage of this year’s deep unrestricted free agent class by adding some pieces to their roster, Winnipeg’s front office is well aware that Manitoba isn’t exactly the most desirable destination for free agents to play in. With this reality comes the precedent that Cheveldayoff and his staff are more likely to address the team’s roster needs via trade.

Trade Target: Martin Necas (RFA) 

Shortly after the Carolina Hurricanes were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Hurricanes forward Martin Necas notified the team that he would like to be dealt out of Carolina.

The 25-year-old Czech forward is a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer and will most definitely be looking for a significant raise from his current $3 million cap hit after passing the 20-goal mark in each of the past two seasons and recording a career-high 71 points last season.

The Jets are aware of their difficulty attracting others to come play for them, which is why they highly covet young players under team control, especially a player like Necas, who has elite talent and an extremely high ceiling. Although he needs to tidy up his efforts in the defensive zone, Necas being one of the best skaters in the entire NHL and having an excellent set of hands makes him a great, skilled forward who would fit well in Winnipeg’s group of top-six forwards.

However, because players like him don’t come around very often, Carolina’s asking price is more than likely set very high. In a deal for Necas, Winnipeg would likely need to trade back a player on its active roster, a first-round draft pick, and a top prospect. And depending on how free agency shakes out for the Jets, they may be more than willing to pay that price if it means improving their squad.

No matter what is on the bingo card for the Winnipeg Jets in this year’s free agency, however, one thing that everyone can agree on is that Cheveldayoff will have his hands full this summer.

This was part one of a two-part series. Be sure to read part two of this series, which examines Winnipeg’s free agency outlook for its defence and goaltending.