Winnipeg Jets: Predicting What Happens to 3 Jets Pending UFA Forwards
Nate Thompson, Trevor Lewis, and Mathieu Perreault are all pending UFAs for the Winnipeg Jets. Here are our predictions on if the Jets will resign them.
The Winnipeg Jets still have a number of pending unrestricted free agents that are set to hit free agency on July 28, unless the Jets and players agree to new contracts before then.
This article focuses on three depth forwards that are heading for free agency and it is unclear whether they will sign a new deal with the Jets. Those players are Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, and Mathieu Perreault.
At the beginning of the office season, there was five remaining pending unrestricted free agent forwards but the list went down after Dominic Toninato signed a two-year deal last week. The other remaining forward is Paul Stastny, but we covered his contract situation on July 5 and you can read about Stastny’s situation by clicking the link here.
Here are our predictions on if the Winnipeg Jets will resign Thompson, Lewis, and Perreault:
3. Nate Thompson
To kick off our list we have an offseason signing from the last offseason. Back in early October of 2020, Winnipeg signed Nate Thompson to a one-year contract after playing the 2019-2020 season with the Canadiens and Flyers. Thompson started that season with the Montreal Canadiens and finished the season with the Philadelphia Flyers after a mid-season trade.
Thompson’s season got off to a slow start as he missed nearly a month during the early stages of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
The thirty-six-year-old, who has played for nine different franchises throughout his career, then played a depth role the rest of the season as the center of the Jets’ fourth line.
Thompson averaged only 9:41 of ice time per game, which was last on the roster among players that appeared in at least half of Winnipeg’s games.
During his 44 games played, Thompson had two goals, three assists, and a plus-four plus/minus while maintaining a 50.4 faceoff percentage.
We predict that Winnipeg will not resign Thompson and instead, the Jets will either look to sign a free agent to fill Thompson’s role or they will promote one of their prospects to this role.
2. Trevor Lewis
Trevor Lewis was a surprising story for the Winnipeg Jets in 2021. Lewis was invited to training camp on a Professional Tryout (“PTO”) and with some great performances, he earned himself a contract and a roster spot out of camp.
The two-time Stanley Cup Champion was signed with an average annual value just above the league minimum at $750,000 on a one-year deal.
Although he averaged nine minutes and fifty-two seconds of ice time per game, Lewis impressed this past season on a fourth-line depth role. The thirty-four-year-old appeared in every single game throughout both the regular season and playoffs and was a solid depth player.
The Salt Lake City, Utah native was consistent on the right wing of Winnipeg’s fourth line and has a great “hockey IQ.” Lewis limits his turnovers and always makes the smart and simple play.
Lewis was one of the Jets’ top penalty killers and led Winnipeg in shorthanded goals in 2021 with two. In total, Lewis scored five goals and added five assists in the regular season. Lewis’ best stat was his plus/minus as he finished third among all Jets forwards with a plus-seven rating.
We predict that the Jets will resign Lewis to another one-year contract with an AAV around the league minimum.
1. Mathieu Perreault
Perreault is coming off the biggest contract out of the three players on this list. His expiring contract, which was signed in the offseason before the 2017-2018 season, was for four years and carried an AAV of $4,125,000.
The now thirty-three-year-old, Perreault is coming off a season where he appeared in every single game for the Jets and had nine goals, 10 assists, and a plus-six plus/minus in a third line role.
Perreault has had an outstanding career in Winnipeg with the Jets. He has played the last seven seasons with the franchise and has appeared in over 450 games and has registered 230 points with the club. Perreault’s contributions to the Jets over the years is something that should be praised.
But now the question is whether the Jets are looking to retain the 12-year NHL veteran or are they looking for a new younger look?
Perreault can definitely be a solid depth player for the Jets for next season. He is valuable on the penalty kill and can contribute some solid minutes in a bottom-six role.
The issue with resigning Perreault is his contract and the only realistic way a deal can be done between Winnipeg and Perreault is if his AAV gets lowered substantially.
With that being said, there are teams that need a veteran forward and have the salary cap room to accommodate Perreault, therefore we predict that the Jets will not resign Perreault and he will become a free agent.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Do you think the Winnipeg Jets should resign any of these players or let them go to free agency? Leave your comments below!
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