Jets’ 2026 Free Agency Class: Who’s Re-Signed, Who’s Gone, & Who’s Left

Now that it’s been almost a week since NHL free agency opened and the dust has settled on the “frenzy”, it’s time to take a look at which Winnipeg Jets’ restricted and unrestricted free agents (RFAs and UFAs) have re-signed with the team, signed elsewhere, or remain unsigned.

Who’s Re-Signed

Walker Duehr – Was Pending UFA, Re-Signed to Two-Year Deal

The Jets re-signed Duehr to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) in the NHL of $875,000 on June 15.

The 28-year-old forward finished fourth on the Manitoba Moose in points with 34 (17 goals, 17 assists) in 62 games. He also played a key role on the team’s penalty kill, finishing tied for first in the American Hockey League (AHL) with five shorthanded goals.

Duehr also played three games for the Jets in March, logging zero points and a minus-1 rating.

Isaac Poulter – Was Pending UFA Group 6, Re-Signed to One-Year Deal

The Jets re-signed Poulter to a one-year contract worth $885,000 on June 18.

The Winnipeg-born goaltender spent most of his season in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals, but did play three games with the Moose, posting a 2-0-0 record, 2.83 goals against average (GAA), and .885 save percentage (SV%). In the ECHL, the 24 year old went 25-17-1 with a 2.76 GAA, .905 SV%, and one shutout.

Isak Rosen – Was Pending RFA, Re-Signed to Two Year Deal

The Jets re-signed Rosen to a two-year contract extension with a $925,000 AAV on June 24.

The Jets acquired the young forward from the Buffalo Sabres at the 2026 Trade Deadline as the main piece in return for defencemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.

The speedy Swedish left winger got an immediate NHL opportunity in Winnipeg and scored three goals in 21 games down the stretch while averaging 10:42 in ice time. He finished with six goals and four assists for 10 points in 37 games between the Jets and Sabres.

Rosen, selected by the Sabres 14th overall in 2021, has been highly productive at the AHL level, with 87 goals and 185 points in 231 games over parts of four seasons with the Rochester Americans. He put up 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points for them in just 37 games last season prior to the trade.

The modest bridge deal will give the organization more time to see what they have in the 23 year old.

Who’s Gone

Jacob Bryson – UFA, Signed With Detroit Red Wings

Bryson signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1.

The Jets acquired the 28 year old defenseman, alongside Rosen, from the Sabres. He got into 15 games for the Jets down the stretch, recording three assists and a minus-8 rating in 12:48 of average ice time. He put up two goals and six assists for eight points in 50 games between the Jets and Sabres overall.

Kale Clague – UFA, Signed in Russia

Clague signed a one-year deal with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on June 9.

The 27-year-old defenseman’s numbers dropped a bit last season, but he still recorded 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 67 games to finish second among Moose defensemen in scoring.

He did not appear in any games for the Jets despite receiving two callups.

Eric Comrie – UFA, Signed With San Jose Sharks

Comrie signed a two-year deal with the Sharks on July 1, a few hours after the Jets signed goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Comrie made a career-high 25 appearances and 24 starts last season in what was his third stint with the Jets, mainly due to Connor Hellebuyck being out for nearly a month from late November to mid-December after arthroscopic knee surgery.

Unfortunately, when handed a huge opportunity to help the Jets through a difficult stretch, he was nothing short of disastrous and overwhelmed by the workload, posting an ugly a 2-7-1 record, 3.71 GAA, .874 save SV%, a negative-7.02 goals saved above expected, and being pulled twice.

Comrie regrouped nicely in the second half, winning six-straight starts after an awful New Years’ Day performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Overall, his numbers fell off as he posted a 3.13 GAA and .890 SV% opposed to a 2.39 GAA and .914 SV% from 2024-25.

David Gustafsson – Was Pending RFA, Traded to Pittsburgh Penguins

Gustafsson was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 29 in exchange for defenceman Jack St. Ivany. Gustafsson, a pending RFA, then signed a one-year deal to stay in Pittsburgh.

The 26 year old centre fell out of the Jets plans and did not receive a callup last season after playing 149 games with them over the previous six. He recorded 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 48 games with the Moose.

The 2018 second rounder would have likely led the Moose in scoring if not for an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss around seven weeks combined in February, March, and April.

Ville Heinola – Group 6 UFA, Signed With Vegas Golden Knights

Heinola signed a one-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1.

Once a highly-prized prospect the Jets hoped would blossom into a top-four defenseman, Heinola completely fell off the organization’s radar as he was surpassed by other prospects and free-agent signings mainly due to injury troubles. The 2019 first rounder played just five games for the Jets last season, registering zero points, and spent most of his season with the Moose, where he tallied three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 44 games.

Heinola was a Group 6 UFA because he had played fewer than 80 NHL games by age 25.

Colin Miller – UFA, Signed in Switzerland

Miller signed a signed a one-year deal with the Swiss Hockey League’s Lausanne HC on July 1.

The defenseman played a career-low 18 games last season, posting two assists. He was a semi-frequent healthy scratch through the first half of the season, then suffered a knee injury on Jan. 11 that required surgery and kept him out for three months.

Mason Shaw – UFA, Signed With Minnesota Wild

Shaw signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Wild on July 1, returning to the team that drafted him in 2017 and with whom he spent the first seven seasons of his career.

The 27-year-old forward served as Moose captain last season and led them in scoring for a second-straight campaign, posting 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games after recording 37 in 2024-25.

He was named Moose captain in October after serving as an alternate the season prior. The Albertan also represented Canada at the 2025 Spengler Cup, scoring a goal in Canada’s tournament-opening game on Boxing Day.

Jonathan Toews – Was Pending UFA, Retired

Toews announced his retirement on June 19 to close his storied 16-year NHL career.

The now-38-year-old returned to the NHL last season on a one-year deal with his hometown Jets after two years off due to long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. He played all 82 games in a mainly bottom-six role, posting 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points and a minus-20 rating and being named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Toews foreshadowed his retirement in his April exit interview, admitting he “struggled” with the speed of the game and “playing with energy every night,” adding later that he “wasn’t anywhere close” to meeting his own expectations.

Despite his final NHL season garnering mixed results, the 2006 third-overall pick enjoyed a fantastic career, captaining the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) and recording 383 goals and 529 assists for 912 points in 1,149-career games. Known for his leadership abilities and knack for coming through in clutch moments, he earned the nickname “Captain Serious” and had 45 goals and 74 assists for 119 points in 137-career playoff games.

Who’s Left

Jaret Anderson-Dolan – UFA (No Qualifying Offer)

The Jets did not tender Anderson-Dolan a qualifying offer ahead of free agency opening, making him a UFA, which he remains as of this writing.

The 26-year-old forward finished second on the Moose in points with 36 (13 goals, 23 assists) last season, improving his output in the AHL by 17 from 2024-25.

He did not receive a callup to the Jets last season playing seven regular-season games and five playoff games with them in 2024-25 in the first year of a two-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.

Tyrel Bauer – RFA

The rugged defenseman and enforcer, in his fourth season with the Moose, tallied five points (one goal, four assists) in 52 games and also engaged in a number of ferocious fights. One of the toughest players in the AHL, the 24 year old dropped the gloves seven times and racked up a personal AHL career-high 110 penalty minutes.

He also racked up three Moose 2025-26 Player Awards — his second-straight Richard Bue Ultimate Teammate Award, the fan-voted Fan Favourite Award, and the EPRA Julian Klymkiw Community Service Award — before winning the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Man of the Year.

Bauer remains an RFA as of this writing. He is coming off a two-year contract with a $775,000 AAV.

Phil Di Giuseppe – UFA

The 32-year-old forward finished tied for third on the Moose with 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 72 games last season while serving as an alternate captain.

While a veteran of 302-career NHL games signed last summer to a one-year deal to improve organizational depth, he did not receive a callup to the Jets.

Di Giuseppe remains a UFA as of writing.

Gustav Nyquist – UFA

Nyquist’s one season with the Jets was disastrous and the team will certainly steer clear of re-signing him.

The 36 year old posted one goal and 11 assists for 12 points did not score his lone goal until March. He was a semi-frequent healthy scratch from December onward, and when he did get into the lineup, it was generally in a bottom-six role.

He was just two seasons removed from a 23-goal, 75 point campaign when he signed with the Jets, but appears to be in a steep and irreversible decline.

He remains a UFA as of writing.

Cole Perfetti – RFA

Re-upping the only high-profile RFA on the books will be general manager (GM) Kevin Cheveldayoff’s biggest priority 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 on July 3, two days before Perfetti filed for salary arbitration as expected he would. “Don’t get too excited,” he cautioned. “It’s just part of the whole thing.”

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 AAV 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. It would likely come with a $5-$6 million AAV.

“That (getting a long-term deal) would be a real honour to have the team show that and express that faith in you as a player and as a person,” Perfetti said. “(That) they want you to be here long term. That they want you to be a player within this organization for the future. But obviously, I can’t speak for their side. I know where I stand, but can’t speak for them.”

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. While he signed defenseman Mario Ferraro, forward Noah Gregor, defenseman Henry Thrun, and goaltender Skinner, he still has $10.68 million of cap space available 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 on July 16.