The Winnipeg Jets need to extend Gabriel Vilardi to a long-term contract and make him a core member to build around. The sooner they can get pen to paper, the better.
Vilardi Excelling on Jets’ First Line, Staying Healthy
Vilardi, in his second season with the Jets, has been an excellent fit on the first-line right wing alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and is on pace to smash his career highs.
The 25 year old is sitting with 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points through 40 games, with his goals and point totals third-highest behind only his linemates. He is on pace for 37 goals and 37 assists for 76 points, which would destroy his current personal bests — 23 goals 18 assists for 41 points in 63 games with the Los Angeles Kings in the season before coming to Winnipeg in the June 2023 trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois packing.
It took a little time for the Connor/Scheifele/Vilardi trio to find their footing at even strength this season and some suggested they should be broken up when they had poor five-on-five results through the first 10 or so games. They flipped the script by early-November, though, and have since produced consistently while being good enough defensively to be viable. They have 133 points combined.
OH MY GOODNESS‼
— NHL (@NHL) April 10, 2024
Take a bow, Gabriel Vilardi! pic.twitter.com/fP3Xch2Wyr
The one knock against Vilardi has been his historic lack of durability. He’s been dogged by injuries since his junior hockey years and general managers (GMs) are often loathe to offer long-term deals to band-aid types. Vilardi hit the shelf three times last season, missing 16 games with an MCL sprain, two games with an undisclosed lower-body injury, and 15 down the stretch due to an enlarged spleen and undisclosed upper-body injury. However, he has played every game this season.
Vilardi’s Power-Play Prowess Is Irreplaceable
It’s on the power play where Vilardi’s unique and heady skillset is on display most prominently. His wizardry around the net and his puck-handling ability in tight — Adam Lowry said last season Vilardi can stickhandle in a phone booth — make him unlike any other player the Jets have had in the 2.0 era. His net-front presence on the top unit has been key to the man advantage operating at a league-best 31.9 per cent clip.
PPG executed to PERFECTION 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/x0Wow69z4i
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 29, 2024
Vilardi is tied for the team lead with Connor with nine power-play goals and has added eight power-play assists. A man advantage needs a killer or two to be successful, and Vilardi certainly fits that bill in a way few other NHLers do.
Related: Winnipeg Jets’ Top 5 Goals of 2023-24
Vilardi showed hints of his power-play prowess last season when led the team with nine power-play goals despite missing 35 games. The power play suffered long stretches of futility last season and finished 22nd, but was a lot better when Vilardi was parked in front of opposing goaltenders.
GABE ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW 😱🤤 pic.twitter.com/GNWnq8pBj4
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 23, 2024
Now, with first-year assistant coach Davis Payne having revamped the regime, Vilardi is equipped to contribute to momentum shifts and wins more often.
Byfield, Lundell, & Raymond Provide Long-Term Contract Comparables
Vilardi is on the second year of a two-year bridge deal with a $3.34 million average annual value (AAV) and will be in a good position for a big raise if he does end up with 30-plus goals and 70-plus points. There are three comparable contracts signed last offseason worth considering when trying to determine how much Vilardi could command on a long-term deal: The Los Angeles Kings’ Quinton Byfield, the Florida Panthers’ Anton Lundell, and the Detroit Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond.
All three forwards were restricted free agents (RFAs) when they signed their deals last summer, like Vilardi will be this summer. Also like Vilardi, all were all selected 12th overall or higher in their respective NHL Entry Drafts, all are in their 20s, all have played more than 200 NHL games, but none have reached 300 games played. See the chart below.
| Player | Games played | Goals | Points | Date extended | Term | AAV (millions) |
| Q. Byfield | 216 | 37 | 108 | July 15, 2024 | 5 years | $6.25 |
| A. Lundell | 254 | 52 | 137 | July 3, 2024 | 6 years | $5 |
| L. Raymond | 276 | 86 | 212 | Sept. 17, 2024 | 8 years | $8.05 |
| G Vilardi | 239 | 81 | 150 | ? | ? | ? |
Stats current up to Jan. 3, 2025.
Of course, none of the contracts provide perfect comparisons. Byfield, Lundell, and Raymond are all younger than Vilardi, but he has played a similar number of games due to his injuries. Byfield and Lundell are more complementary middle-six scorers than Vilardi, while Raymond has a higher point-per-game average and different skillset.
However, it’s reasonable to assume that looking at these deals — and considering the NHL salary cap is slated to rise to $92.5 million — Vilardi could command a six-to-eight year deal with a $6.5 million to $7.5 million AAV, which would be more than Lundell and Byfield but not as much as Raymond. Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck are the co-highest-paid Jets at $8.5 million per year each (on seven-year deals) and he’s not in the position to command as much or more than them.
In-Season Extensions Common Nowadays; Why Not Get Vilardi Locked UP?
Some will say that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff shouldn’t rush things because contract negotiations, especially with RFAs, can wait until the offseason. That’s true, but they don’t have to.
In-season contract extensions have become much more common as GMs, players, and agents don’t seem it’s taboo to talk terms while games go on. This season alone, the Colorado Avalanche locked up MacKenzie Blackwood for eight years, the New York Rangers did the same with Igor Shesterkin, the Vegas Golden Knights signed Brett Howden to a five-year deal and Shea Theodore to a seven-year one, and the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Jake McCabe to five-year deal.
Cheveldayoff does not have an extensive history of extending players during the season, but did so last season when he inked Nino Niederreiter to a four-year deal worth $4 million per year. It’s definitely not a big problem if Cheveldayoff waits until the offseason; signing players to long-term deals isn’t easy with player agents trying to get much as possible for their clients and negotiations can sometimes turn into an unneeded distraction.
However, the sooner he extends Vilardi, the sooner he can make complementary moves — for example, at the trade deadline in two months to bolster his team with Stanley Cup aspirations — with the knowledge Vilardi is a core player to build around. It might also save him some money — every dollar and cent is important to an organization in win-now mode and spending up to the cap ceiling — to sign Vilardi before he has another great half season under his belt he can point to and say “pay me.”
Whatever happens, Vilardi is having a special season. Whether you’re a Jets’ fan or support another team, he’s well worth watching.