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The Winnipeg Jets lost to the Dallas Stars in Game 6 to end their Stanley Cup Playoff run. They won the Presidents' Trophy after posting the best regular-season record in the league, but fell short of the Western Conference Final. The Jets have many of their core players locked up long-term and have a few big contracts coming up. What does that mean for this summer? Here are some possible Jets offseason trades to make them a sustainable contender in the NHL.
The Jets have a big offseason decision that will impact their trades. Nikolaj Ehlers is an unrestricted free agent and could be in for a huge payday on July 1. If Winnipeg wins a bidding war to keep him, they may need to trade someone to make the financials work. That is especially true when looking ahead, as Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti both need new contracts after the 2025-26 season. As a small-market team, they need to take all of these things into consideration before this summer.
Who will the Jets trade this offseason? It may be someone hard to replace.
The Jets may need to trade Gabe Vilardi
When the Jets traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings, they got three players back. Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari were all key to Winnipeg's success this year. Iafallo already signed a three-year extension to stay in Winnipeg, but this could be the end of the road with Vilardi. With all of the big contracts coming up, and Neal Pionk already signed, Vilardi could be the odd man out.
Vilardi had far and away the best season of his career in 2024-25. His 71 games played, 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points were all career highs. Come playoff time, he was silenced. In nine games, he scored just one goal and added a measly three assists. Vilardi missed the first four games of the Blues series with an injury. After this productive season, a team could come in and sign him to an offer sheet, forcing the Jets to either match or let him walk. Or, Winnipeg could take matters into their own hands and trade him.
Making room for Haydn Fleury
In the playoffs, the Jets turned to seventh defenseman Haydn Fleury as they dealt with significant injuries. The journeyman picked up two assists in eight games and was a +2. That is good enough to earn the sixth spot on their depth chart, especially because a new contract for Fleury will be inexpensive. That means the Jets should trade Colin Miller this offseason to make room for him.
Miller finished his first full season with the Jets with four goals and 11 assists in 60 games. He missed time with a fractured larynx in the regular season and an illness in the playoffs. When he was on the ice, he was not costing Winnipeg games, but he was not dominating minutes by any stretch. This would not bring in a big return, unlike a potential Vilardi trade, but would clear up roster space and salary cap space.
They should be willing to give up their first-round pick
The Jets have their core locked in and are routinely one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They are not going to take away from that group, especially if they re-sign Ehlers. So, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff should shop his first-round pick, looking for a scorer this offseason. There may be a few options heading into the draft that could set the Jets apart from other Western Conference contenders.
The options are slim but do include some solid veterans. Chris Kreider could get moved from the Rangers, the Islanders are likely to trade JG Pageau, and the Wild could trade Marco Rossi. But those players could cause the same problem Vilardi would if he stays. There is only so much money to go around in Winnipeg, and they may need to shop in the bargain bin.
How would you fix the Jets this offseason? They already signed Pionk and Josh Morrissey is locked in for a while. So their defense is set. Is signing Nikolaj Ehlers worth it? There are a lot of questions to answer this offseason that will determine the rest of Connor Hellebucyk's prime.
