After a whirlwind last few weeks with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and the opening days of free agency taking place, longtime Winnipeg Jets general manager (GM) Kevin Cheveldayoff met with the media Friday for the first time since his press conference at the end of their highly-disappointing 2025-26 season.
Here, we’ll dive into his comments on a variety of topics.
Ferraro & Skinner Were “Number-1 Targets”
Cheveldayoff made three signings on free agency’s opening day, with the most significant two being defenseman Mario Ferraro and goaltender Stuart Skinner. Cheveldayoff called those players his “number-one targets.”
Ferraro was relied on heavily throughout his seven seasons patrolling the San Jose Sharks’ back end, while Skinner had periods of success interspersed with periods of struggles over his tumultuous five-and-a-half seasons in the Edmonton Oilers’ crease before finishing last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Ferraro didn’t fall into place until fairly late in the day. We hung in there and very thankful that it worked out in our direction,” he said, adding later “for us, obviously getting Ferraro was a big, big thing.”
“We’re really excited to get Stu,” he said of Skinner, adding that goaltending coach Wade Flaherty has spoken highly of him.
“July 1 can be a good day sometimes and July 1 can be something that you wake up the next morning and say ‘what did I just do?'” Cheveldayoff said. “We’re fortunate that we woke up and we’re still pretty excited about the things we did on July 1.”
Perfetti Extension a High Priority
Re-upping the only high-profile restricted free agent on the books will be a big priority for Cheveldayoff going forward. That’s Cole Perfetti, who took a step back last season offensively, recording just 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) compared to a career-high 50 (18 goals and 32 assists) in 2024-25.
“It’s a different phase of contracts now where he has arbitration rights,” Cheveldayoff said, adding he expects Perfetti will file for arbitration if he doesn’t sign by July 5. “If he does (file for arbitration), don’t get too excited. It’s just part of the whole thing,” he added.
Perfetti missed the first 14 games of last season with a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the team’s final preseason game, and even though he returned in November, he did not look comfortable until the new year. He admitted in his exit interview he came back from injury “a hair too early” and that it “took awhile” to get back up to speed.
The 2020 first-rounder hasn’t exactly put himself in the best situation to justify a significant raise from the $3.25 million average annual value his expired two-year bridge held. However, a longer-term deal still seems on the table and is something at his exit meeting he said he would be open to.
No Update On Hellebuyck Trade Drama
Cheveldayoff did not provide any new tidbits regarding trade talks regarding his three-time Vezina winning goaltender, saying “Connor Hellebuyck is a Winnipeg Jet and there’s really no update at this point in time.”
While there’s been no credible reporting that Hellebuyck — who has five years left on his contract — has actually requested a trade, rumours that he will be shipped out of Winnipeg have raged since his exit interview and Cheveldayoff threw more fuel on the fire late last month by saying he was listening to proposals.
The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes have made offers, but Cheveldayoff said last month none were good enough to act on.
Chances Awaiting Young Players?
Last offseason, Cheveldayoff signed a number of veterans that made the Jets too old and too slow to keep up with high-octane teams, but this offseason, he has not signed anyone older than 27. This could mean better chances for a number of younger players to crack the NHL roster.
“We’re looking to make changes, we’re looking to get faster,” Cheveldayoff said, explaining that all of his free-agent signings thus far are good skaters. “You’re going to see a different group come September out there and that’s exciting.”
Bjorck’s a Centre
As for Viggo Bjorck, the Jets’ first-rounder at last month’s draft, the goal is clear: play him up the middle.
“Viggo’s a centre, period,” Cheveldayoff’s said in response to a question about the positional plan for the eighth-overall pick. In the past, the Jets have deployed players who were drafted as centres on the wing, such as Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi.
The Swedish Bjorck was the main attraction at the Jet 2026 Development Camp this week and could be the team’s most-important pick in a decade considering their hope for him to become the second-line centre they’ve been seeking for a number of seasons.
“When he’s got the puck on his stick, you want to watch and see what happens next,” Cheveldayoff said. “It’s an exciting start to a real good relationship here and again, we’re so fortunate to be able to draft him in the position that we did. It’s going to be a great thing for the Jets moving forward.”
This season, the 18 year old is eligible to play in the NHL, the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose, or in the Swedish Hockey League with Djurgardens IF, where he spent last season and remains under contract.
Jets Still Have Cap Space & Much More to Do This Offseason
While the last few weeks have been busy for Cheveldayoff and every other NHL GM, he should not be done seeking free agents and exploring trades he thinks can help the team get back to competitiveness. He still has $10.68 million of cap space available as per PuckPedia, and a number of useful players remain on the market.
With the draft and free agent frenzy past, the next major thing to look forward to is the 2026-27 regular-season schedule release within the next few weeks.
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