Grading Gabriel Vilardi’s $45 million contract extension with Jets

The Winnipeg Jets suffered some crucial losses this summer. Namely, star winger Nikolaj Ehlers signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in NHL Free Agency. However, Winnipeg still has some incredible talent on its roster. And on Friday, they rewarded one of their own by signing Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year contract extension.

Vilardi came to the Jets through trade with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023. He was the main piece going to Winnipeg in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade prior to the 2023 NHL Draft. The 25-year-old forward has struggled with injury at times with the Jets. However, he has emerged as a legitimate first-line talent when he’s healthy.

The Jets and Vilardi have avoided arbitration with this deal. But how does it look for both sides? Let’s take a deeper look at this deal and hand both Vilardi and Winnipeg a grade for this six-year agreement.

Gabriel Vilardi signs long-term

Gabriel Vilardi showed his talent with the Kings prior to the trade a few years ago. The former first-round pick found his stride in 2022-23, when he scored 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games. With the Jets, he’s taken his game up a notch.

He has skated in 118 games for Winnipeg since the trade. In that time, he has scored 49 goals and 97 points for the Jets. As mentioned, he has struggled with injuries over the last two years. In fact, he played less than 50 games during his first campaign with Winnipeg. Still, he is an incredible talent who occupies a role on the first line both at even strength and on the power play.

Vilardi does well to get a long-term contract while avoiding arbitration. However, he could have done a bit better in other areas. The main area is trade protection. He did not receive any trade or movement protection in this deal. As a result, he lacks control over his future should things go south with the Jets. All the same, this is still a good deal for the 25-year-old.

Jets sign Gabriel Vilardi