All's quiet on the Cole Perfetti front

The Winnipeg Jets have $7,376,309 left under the salary cap to sign the 22 yr old restricted free agent.

The Jets will likely ink RFA center Cole Perfetti to a bridge deal to conclude contract negotiations this summer. Perfetti is arguably the top RFA center left on the market, although he spent a good chunk of last season on the wing after being bumped from the No. 2 center spot for Vladislav Namestnikov and later Sean Monahan. The 2020 10th overall pick is coming off his entry-level contract and set career highs with 19 goals and 38 points in his platform season.

Winnipeg will be looking for more out of the 22-year-old next season after losing Monahan and a few other depth forward pieces to free agency. But while he's been an effective depth presence, he hasn't been able to demonstrate his ceiling as an everyday top-six forward with much consistency to date. This season could be transformative for Perfetti, who has a chance to reclaim that second-line spot down the middle and prove himself as a capable secondary option behind Mark Scheifele. That could lead to the two sides agreeing on a one-year deal to get Perfetti signed before training camp and resuming discussions on a longer-term extension to begin with the 2025-26 season.

Hopefully negotiations conclude soon, with rumor's starting to circulate around the NHL as to the availability for a possible trade for the 22-year-old Perfetti. Is a bridge deal the right move or will Winnipeg follow the recent trend and lock up the youngster to a larger 6-8 year contract.