By signing his five-year, $30-million extension with the Winnipeg Jets last Wednesday, Cole Perfetti secured his future with the only NHL franchise he's ever known.
Now, if only the Jets were operating under a similar level of certainty.
Despite the NHL off-season slowing to its typical mid-July crawl, all eyes remain on Winnipeg and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, whose name has continued to pop up in the rumour mill — an unsettling feeling for the organization and its players.
"We know as much as everyone else in the city of Winnipeg," Perfetti said Monday while meeting with reporters to discuss his new contract. "We’re anxious to know, too. We know how special he is as a player and person and we want to be fighting with him day in and day out.
"Whatever happens is out of our control, and there's nothing we can do about it."
Back in late June, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said that he is listening to trade offers for Hellebuyck as the team comes off a year in which it missed the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents' Trophy.
Even with Winnipeg's goaltending situation up in the air, Perfetti said that landing on his new extension was a smooth process and that he ultimately wanted to stay with the team for the long run.
"I don't think (going to arbitration) was ever a serious thought. I know on our side, we didn't want to go there," Perfetti said. "My family, myself, we love it here. There was never any worry about that, really. It came a little close to the day, but it came together quickly, and I was very happy to get it done."
Perfetti is coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which he had 12 goals and 20 assists in 68 games. It was his fifth NHL season.
The 24-year-old was drafted 10th overall by the Jets in 2020 and has 59 career goals and 157 points in 290 games.
"We've really found a nice home (in Winnipeg), and we feel comfortable," Perfetti said of why he signed the five-year pact. "I think that's the really big part of it. And this year obviously wasn't exactly what we planned on the ice, but you rewind two years and we were the best team in the league throughout the regular season.
"That's the kind of group I know we have and I believe in what we can accomplish."
Perfetti mentioned that he hopes to continue improving "a little bit" each year, both on and off the ice now that he's locked in as a piece of Winnipeg's core going forward.
"I expect a lot from myself, to take a major step forward from last year," he said. "I think two years ago (I) took a big step in the right direction and then last year just didn't go as planned with the injury and all that kind of stuff.
"So, I need to be better ... I gotta take it upon myself to take a step forward, and every year that's the goal."
