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<\/a>F Cole Perfetti<\/a> \u2013 Perfetti\u2019s bridge deal has expired with the same questions existing as there were before his contract was signed.\u00a0 He has shown flashes of legitimate top-six skill, evidenced by a 50-point showing in 2024-25.\u00a0 However, he hasn\u2019t cracked the 40-point mark in his other three years, including a 32-point platform year last season.\u00a0 As a 50-point player, he could plausibly push for an AAV in the $7MM range on a long-term contract.\u00a0 But are the Jets willing to pay him at that level when he has only reached that mark once?\u00a0 If not, they might want to do another short-term deal.\u00a0 But with only two years left before Perfetti becomes UFA-eligible, that type of agreement would likely need to be a one-year pact (in the $4.5MM to $5MM range) which carries its own risk.\u00a0 This could be a tricky situation for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to navigate.<\/p>\nOther RFAs: D Tyrel Bauer<\/a>, F Rasmus Kupari<\/a> (signed in Switzerland)<\/p>\n Key Unrestricted Free Agents<\/p>\n G Eric Comrie<\/a> \u2013 Comrie has had two very different years since rejoining the Jets.\u00a0 The first season went quite well with him putting up an above-average performance, leading to some calls to try to get him a bit more playing time to take some pressure off Connor Hellebuyck<\/a>.\u00a0 That opportunity came last season with Hellebuyck injured and it did not go well.\u00a0 The 30-year-old struggled considerably with the higher expectations and wound up finishing with a below-average year statistically with a .890 SV% and a 3.13 GAA.\u00a0 If there is a team that wants him as a backup, he could still get a boost to the $1.5MM range, up from the $1MM he made the last two seasons.\u00a0 But if that doesn\u2019t materialize and he\u2019s viewed as more of a third-string option, he may have to settle for something around his old deal.<\/p>\n D Ville Heinola<\/a> \u2013 Once viewed as one of Winnipeg\u2019s better prospects, Heinola hasn\u2019t lived up to that level of expectation.\u00a0 He cleared waivers last season, spending most of the year in AHL Manitoba which has qualified him for Group Six free agency.\u00a0 But he\u2019s listed here as it\u2019s likely that he\u2019ll be one of the more sought-after players out of that class of players.\u00a0 There will be teams that think they can turn him into a capable third-pairing puck-mover and if that\u2019s the case, he could command a contract worth more than the minimum salary.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t happen too often with Group Six players.<\/p>\n Other UFAs: F Jaret Anderson-Dolan<\/a>, D Jacob Bryson<\/a>, D Kale Clague<\/a>, F Phillip Di Giuseppe<\/a>, F Samuel Fagemo<\/a>, D Colin Miller<\/a> (signed in Switzerland), F Mason Shaw<\/a><\/p>\n Projected Cap Space<\/p>\n The Jets enter the day with a little more than $19MM of salary cap flexibility.\u00a0 A fair-sized chunk of that will go to Perfetti whenever his deal gets done but Cheveldayoff will still have ample cap space to try to add to his roster.\u00a0 How much budget room he has remains to be seen but Winnipeg should still be able to add a second netminder and another couple of players at least over the coming weeks.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/gustav-nyquist-jets-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>F Gustav Nyquist<\/a> \u2013 The 36-year-old is technically only two years removed from a career year that saw him record 75 points.\u00a0 That\u2019s one side of the coin.\u00a0 The other side is that the two seasons since then haven\u2019t remotely gone as well.\u00a0 After putting up 28 points in 2024-25, Winnipeg thought that Nyquist would still be able to provide some secondary offense.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t happen as he had all of one goal and 11 assists in 51 games last season while playing less than 13 minutes per night.\u00a0 There may be teams that think he will fit better in their system but after making $3.25MM with the Jets, he\u2019s probably going to have to settle for closer to half of that this summer.\u00a0 He\u2019s eligible for bonuses on a one-year contract and that might be his best path to take.<\/p>\n