Latest on RFA Cole Perfetti Reveals Glimmer of Hope

At the NHL Players Media Tour in Las Vegas this past week, some might have been surprised to see unsigned restricted free agent Cole Perfetti there. Yet there he was, making the rounds, representing the Winnipeg Jets. This is obviously great news for the Jets and their fans, that the 22-year-old future star is pretty confident that a new contract will get done sooner than later.

"It's not awkward," Perfetti told Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "I mean, it's a great opportunity for me. It's a great experience. Personally, I'm honoured that they still wanted me to come.

"It hasn't been weird, for sure. My group's working hard there with the team, and I'm confident that something will get figured out here. It's just a matter of time."

Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman agreed that Perfetti is obviously in a good state of mind.

I think that Perfetti would have preferred this got started earlier, but he's not panicking… He's not in any kind of frame of mind where he is saying, 'I'm angry at the Jets' or 'this is going to be a problem.' Although—once training camp starts you're hoping for everybody's sake that this is sorted out.

"I don't want to be missing camp," Perfetti admitted. "I want to be there for camp. I want to be a part of this team. I want to be a big part of this. We'll see what happens."

Perfetti had an up-and-down season in his 3rd year, with a strong first half followed by a tough stretch in which he went 23 games without a goal, and faced a number of healthy scratches. He finished with 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 71 games with a plus/minus rating of +13.

But we'll leave the final word to the former 10th overall selection (2020 Draft), as he told Fox:

"I love being in Canada. I love Winnipeg. I love the organization. I love playing there. So right now, I would love to be a staple in this organization and a key piece of the core for the years going forward. I would love that, and it would be an honour to be a part of that."