Jets’ Perfetti Off to Scorching Start This Season

There is perhaps no Winnipeg Jet who needed to get off to a hot start more than Cole Perfetti, and the 24 year old has been nothing less than scorching to start 2026-27.

“Fetts” Looking Fantastic to Begin 2026-27

After potting two goals, including the eventual game winner, in Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, the right winger is up to five goals and three assists for eight points through the first half-dozen games of the campaign. For context, it took him until his 40th game to score five goals last season.

Of course, playing on a line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele doesn’t hurt one’s chances to get on the scoresheet in any given game, but the early results are not a case of the 2020 first rounder riding coattails to second in team scoring.

He appears noticeably more confident in going to the dirty areas in front of the net and has been much more willing to let a shot rip rather than deferring to a teammate with a pass. He’s also been impressive in the bumper spot on the top power-play unit, collecting a point on every one of the Jets’ five goals on the man advantage (two goals and three assists.)

“You have to have a little bit (of a shooter’s mentality),” Perfetti said postgame. “Just trying to have the mindset of take what’s there, take what’s available. Don’t go into a play or situation or shift of like ‘I gotta pass here.’ If it’s there to shoot, shoot; if it’s there to pass, pass.”

“As long as I can get open and get into a good spot, I’m going to try to get it on net, get a good chance.”

Perfetti Not Playing Catchup Like Last Season

Perfetti appeared to be playing catchup for a big portion of last season as he missed the first 14 games of the campaign with a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the team’s final preseason game. Even though he returned in November, he did not look comfortable until the new year and admitted in his exit interview last spring he came back from injury “a hair too early” and that it “took awhile” to get back up to speed.

While his 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) last season represented a downturn from the career-high 50 (18 goals and 32 assists) he posted in 2024-25, he did pick it up down the stretch, recording 25 points in his final 44 games of 2025-26 compared to just seven in his first 24.

Not many players see their salary nearly double after a down season like Perfetti’s did when he inked a five-year contract with a $6 million average annual value (AAV) this summer after playing on bridge deal with a $3.25 million AAV. Not many players get a promotion to the top line after a down season, either.

It’s clear head coach Scott Arniel and the staff trust that last season’s numbers drop was injury-related rather than an issue of skill, and Perfetti is making good on their faith in him so far.

Perfetti has high expectations for himself, which he spoke of after signing the new deal.

“I expect a lot from myself on the ice this year to take a major step from last year,” Perfetti said. “This is the most I’ve spent on the ice. This is the best I’ve felt in the gym. Overall, the body and the mind are in a great spot. Obviously now with being here for five years and kind of knowing what the future looks like, it’s really settling and at ease a lot more.” (From ‘Jets’ Perfetti motivated to prove his worth following ‘life-changing’ contract,’ Winnipeg Free Press, July 20, 2026.)

So far, so good on that front. It’s harder to quantify, but it’s possible that with his future now secure, his mind is free to focus solely on his on-ice performance.

While the Jets don’t necessarily need Perfetti to be a point-per-game player — although they’d be ecstatic if he was — they do need him to be a consistent offensive contributor who takes some of the scoring pressure off Connor, Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi. The trio accounted for 105 of the Jets’ 229 goals last season and a lack of secondary scoring was one of the big reasons the Jets regressed by 21 wins to miss the playoffs.

Perfetti and the Jets, who have started the season 4-1-1 despite their tough schedule, will try to keep the good times rolling Thursday in Chicago when they face the Blackhawks.