The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents' Trophy, but did not get to the Western Conference Final last year. After losing Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency, they need many of their young players to step up in 2025-26. One of those players just got paid to stay in Winnipeg for a long time. The Jets have agreed to a six-year contract with forward Gabriel Vilardi, worth $45 million.
“Gabe Vilardi 6 x $7.5M. Avoids arbitration with Jets,” Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported.
Vilardi had filed for arbitration, which caps a contract at two years and creates a contentious argument between the two sides. The Jets were able to avoid that process, however, and keep Vilardi through the 2030-31 season.
THE VILARDI PARTY CONTINUES FOR SIX MORE YEARS 🎉 pic.twitter.com/YrELFRf2uk
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) July 18, 2025
The Jets picked up Vilardi in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade before the 2023-24 season. While Dubois did not work out in LA, Vilardi made the deal a massive loss for the Kings. Since joining the Jets, he has 97 points in 118 regular-season games. The postseason has been an issue for him, with only 12 points in 21 career games.
The Jets have two more restricted free agents to sign before the season begins. Defenseman Dylan Samberg is the biggest name, as one of their top defenseman. Forward Rasmus Kupari scored only eight points in 59 games last year, but still needs a new deal. Winnipeg does have a lot of cap space, so getting these deals done should not be a problem.
Jets get a fantastic deal on Gabriel Vilardi, who has blossomed into a quality first line talent in Winnipeg. pic.twitter.com/ZsB2nx7KeU
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 18, 2025
The Jets have a big offseason of spending next year that they should be saving money for. After losing Ehlers, they cannot let Kyle Connor walk out the door. His $7.14 AAV deal expires after this season, and he is due a big raise. Keeping Vilardi at $7.5 million AAV will help pay Connor and keep this competitive core together. Can they get the deal done before the season, or will he hit free agency?
