Jets Have Two Offseason Tasks Remaining

The Winnipeg Jets' offseason has been characterized by cautious moves, primarily the one-year signings of veterans Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist. With a significant salary cap space of $19 million, the Jets are likely focusing on retaining their key restricted free agents, Gabe Vilardi and Dylan Samberg, who could command substantial raises. This strategy suggests a potential shift in team dynamics, which may influence betting odds, as improved retention might enhance the Jets' competitiveness in the upcoming season.

The Winnipeg Jets have been surprisingly quiet this summer. After capturing a Central Division title before a second-round elimination in the postseason, Winnipeg’s big offseason moves were signing veteran forwards Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist to one-year contracts.

The inactivity may be a cause for concern, but two massive tasks remain on the Jets’ offseason list. While they haven’t been major players in the free agents market, the organization has $19 million in salary cap currently. A majority of which will be allocated to the team’s two restricted free agents in need of new deals, Gabe Vilardi and Dylan Samberg.

Vilardi and Samberg are two of the Jets’ most impactful players heading into the 2025-2026 campaign. The 25-year-old Vilardi is entering his third season with the organization and just hitting his prime. He’s rattled off three consecutive 20+ goal seasons, including a career-high 27 goals this past year. Over the past three seasons with the Jets and Los Angeles Kings, he’s recorded 72 goals over 181 games played. His 72 tallies are more than the totals recorded by players like JJ Peterka, Dylan Cozens, Robert Thomas, Evgeni Malkin, and Tomas Hertl. That type of company has Vilardi in line for an impressive raise over his last salary of $3.4 million.

The same can be said for defenseman Dylan Samberg. The 26-year-old has had back-to-back excellent seasons at 5-on-5. The 6’4” defender played this past season with Neal Pionk, and the duo has formed a top-tier middle pairing in Winnipeg. He’s in line for a raise and could easily command a salary of $6 million or more.

When you look at the two big contracts the Jets will likely hand out this summer, their quiet approach to the start of free agency makes sense. Instead of going all in and shelling out cash for free agents, they are still keen on spending that money internally. Specifically, they want to spend that money on their talented and important restricted free agents.

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