Avalanche rivals shake up the Central with massive blockbuster move that changes everything

Vilardi's new deal comes with a $7.5 million cap hit.

Sportsnet reports that the extension follows a breakout 2024-25 season for Vilardi, who entered restricted free agency on July 1 after finishing a two-year, $6.88 million deal. He set career highs with 27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points, and appeared in 71 games.

The 25-year-old Kingston, Ontario native returned from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the final 11 regular-season games and the first four of the playoffs, contributing one goal and three assists over nine postseason appearances.

Vilardi, a first-round pick (11th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL Draft, has amassed 175 points (90 goals, 85 assists) across 270 career regular-season games, along with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 21 playoff appearances with the Kings and Jets.

The Jets acquired Vilardi on June 27, 2023, as part of the trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Kings.

On the international stage, Vilardi captured gold with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, contributing one assist and six penalty minutes over 10 games.

The Jets have had a relatively quiet offseason, with their most notable additions being Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke, and Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews.

However, they also saw a significant departure as Nikolaj Ehlers left via free agency. With approximately $10.5 million in salary cap space remaining, the team still needs to re-sign four restricted free agents, most notably defenseman Dylan Samberg.

Source:
Sportsnet
Jets sign Gabriel Vilardi to six-year contract