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‘Multiple teams’ willing to offer sheet Jets’ Cole Perfetti

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Jordan Llanes | Last updated Aug 29, 2024 9:33 PM ET

With the 2024 NHL season drawing closer, free agency has been fast and furious since the beginning of July. Several stars have changed teams, while some have also stayed put. Restricted free agents are often a source of major intrigue, and reports breaking on Thursday that multiple teams are pursuing a young, exciting center. Some clubs are considering signing Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti to an offer sheet in an effort to pry him from his current club.

“What I can tell you is that there are a number of teams that would be willing to offer Cole Perfetti an offer sheet for two years, in and around a $4.5 million AAV,” reported NHL Network Radio’s Dave McCarthy.

Every offseason, rumors swirl of this nature. Restricted free agents are often a coveted commodity, and this is the case in both the NFL and NBA as well. One such example in NHL free agency is the St. Louis Blues picking up a pair of Edmonton Oilers starters in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. So, the question is: why are ‘multiple teams’ interested in acquiring Perfetti during this offseason?

Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets could potentially go down different paths

Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti (91) warms up before the game against the Colorado Avalanche in game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

There are still quite a few unsigned restricted free agents (RFAs) left on the board. Perfetti is one such name. He had 38 points on the season, but 29 of those came in the first 40 games. The second half was not nearly as effective, as the center only had nine points in the latter part of the campaign. Based on what he did in the first half, then it seems as if that is likely the player that these unnamed teams are interested in.

Even after his rocky second half, in which Perfetti was scratched in a few games, he showed skills that would interest not just a few teams. His skillset would interest almost every single team in the NHL, including his current organization in Winnipeg. McCarthy touched on the potential deal that could be offered to the 22-year-old and what it would also mean for the Jets.

“The Winnipeg Jets, in a heartbeat, in a heartbeat, would match an offer sheet of two years, $4.5 million,” said McCarthy, as discussed in an article published by NHL Trade Rumors.

After all, a young, talented center who played at almost a point-a-game pace in the first few months of the 2023-24 season would fit in pretty much anywhere. Especially in a salary cap focused league, Perfetti would be particularly welcome with any of the NHL’s top contenders. Since Winnipeg is one such contender, then it is probably unlikely he will call any place but Canada Life Centre home next season and beyond.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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