This could be a massive summer when it comes to contracts for several wingers with the Winnipeg Jets. For the next 48 hours or so, however, all eyes will be fixed on Nikolaj Ehlers to see if his tenure in Manitoba will be ended or extended.

While GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was able to extend right-shot defenceman Neal Pionk on a six-year deal right before the regular season ended, no such agreement was struck with Ehlers. The 29-year-old Dane — drafted ninth overall by Winnipeg in 2014 — has informed the club he’s going to test the market, though Cheveldayoff has not thrown in the towel completely on trying to work something out with Ehlers. 

“We’ll continue to have conversations until we can’t, until we’re saying ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Thank you,’” the general manager told reporters ahead of the NHL Draft last week.

Although July 1 is obviously the big pressure point in the Ehlers saga, it’s also the day Gabe Vilardi will officially require a new contract. Vilardi’s 27 goals this past season represent the most of anybody in the league set to become an RFA when the calendar flips on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, six-foot-three winger has arbitration rights and can become a UFA in the summer of 2027. With all the talk about offer sheets floating around as the salary cap rises, you know the Jets would love to lock Vilardi down on a lengthy extension. 

It’s worth noting, too, that a pair of hugely importantly wingers — Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti — are eligible for extensions as of July 1. The latter would be an RFA in 2026, while Connor could be a whale of a UFA next summer. Recall, when Winnipeg did its massive, simultaneous extensions with Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck in 2023, those deals didn’t get done until the eve of the regular season. Getting Connor’s name on an extension at any point this summer would be a wonderful development for the Jets.

As for the here and now, there’s obviously a very real chance Ehlers will depart Winnipeg after 11 years with the organization. And while the even-keeled Cheveldayoff doesn’t really do scramble mode, the team will certainly have to beat the bushes in search of scoring that could help soften the blow if Ehlers glides out the door.

Though that loss would be felt most acutely, two other Jets wingers — Mason Appleton and Brandon Tanev — can hit the open market on Tuesday, as well.

For Winnipeg, rarely a major player in the UFA pond, the biggest move it could pull off in the next day or so is finding a way to retain Ehlers. Failing that, we’ll see what kind of singles and doubles this club can hit on the open market. 

Here, according to Puckpedia, is what the Jets are working with heading into July 1.

Salary cap space: $23,513,810

Salary committed to forwards: $35,644523

Salary committed to defence: $25,400,000

Salary committed to goalies: $9,325,00

Salary committed to buyout: $1,616,667 

Previous team: Dallas Stars

Previous cap hit: $5 million

This would be about as big a play in the open market as you could envision the Jets making. Of course, Winnipeg did already grab headlines by inking Jonathan Toews, who’s hoping to resurrect his NHL career after two full years away from the game. It’s a great bet on a hometown guy who could wind up helping the Jets at centre on a second or third line.

That said, you can’t sign a 37-year-old who’s been away from the big league as long as Toews and assume all will go to plan. Throw in Adam Lowry’s off-season hip surgery and there’s flux down the middle in Winnipeg.

To be sure, there will be suitors for Granlund, a veteran who brings grit and middle-six production to any lineup. It may be worth a bold move from Winnipeg, though, as Granlund can play both centre and wing capably. You start him down the middle to support Toews and make up for the absence of Lowry. If things go well with Toews, Granlund can easily slide to the flank. If it turns out the Jets need support down the middle all year, Granlund can be that guy.

Also, when you contemplate who might sign with Winnipeg as a modestly big fish, it feels like a Finnish guy who spent many winters in Minnesota during his NHL career might be the kind of player who would put pen to paper there — especially if you make it worth his while dollar-wise.

Granlund has produced 60-point seasons in each of the past two years suiting up for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He’s not flashy or big, but he’s universally respected and brings a straight-ahead style that could help the Jets come playoff time.

Previous team: Los Angeles Kings

Previous cap hit: $2.67 million

Remember when the Tampa Bay Lighting coughed up five picks — one from each of the first five rounds — to get Jeannot from the Nashville Predators? That was actually only a little over two years ago, ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

Though the move proved to be misguided, there’s a reason a smart organization like Tampa bet on Jeannot, and that reason is he’s a nasty bit of work who’d showed real scoring touch with a 24-goal season as an NHL sophomore in 2021-22.

Although we can safely classify that season as an anomaly — Jeannot has scored a total of only 26 goals since then — there’s still something to wrap your arms around here, as long as you have limbs long enough to engulf a six-foot-two, 220-pound frame.

Jeannot is a Prairie boy who might relish the idea of playing in Winnipeg and you could see the value in a short-term bet here. On the other hand, if the Jets believe in the player, why not offer some term in the hopes you could get a hard-to-play-against guy in the lineup for the next five years or so at a reasonable cap hit?

If the Jets retain Tanev and add Jeannot, their bottom six will be extremely unpleasant to face.

Previous team: Washington Capitals

Previous cap hit: $1.25 million

Though he’s never fulfilled his promise as a 2015 first-round pick, Beauvillier has shown he can be a useful NHLer — especially when it matters most.

Beauvillier has bounced around a lot, suiting up for five teams in the past three seasons since leaving the Islanders squad that drafted him. He was picked up by the Caps ahead of the deadline this past season and showed quite well for Washington, with six points in 10 post-season outings. In fact, some of Beauvillier’s best work has come in the playoffs, where he had 27 points in 39 spring games over two years with the Islanders in 2020 and 2021.

Though not big, Beauvillier plays with some bite and brings 15-goal potential to the middle of the lineup. Maybe, if he’s able to settle into a new home, he can show the best version of himself through the end of his 20s and into his early 30s.

Previous team: New Jersey Devils

Previous cap hit: $2.5 million

Small bet on a Winnipeg boy?

Glass was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but the Devils won’t be qualifying him at his old $2.5 million number. That means he’ll be free to sign with anybody on July 1.

If Beauvillier never quite met expectations, Glass has been hit with the bust label after going sixth overall in the 2017 draft. Obviously he’s never going to realize the offensive potential the Golden Knights saw in him when they made Glass their first-ever draft pick, but he’s a six-foot-three, right-shot forward who now has 252 NHL games under his belt. Glass scored 14 goals in 2022-23, his first full NHL campaign, and has been plagued by injuries at times in his career. 

Although there figures to be a couple teams interested in what he can bring, maybe Winnipeg can leverage the hometown angle and come to terms on a low-risk deal that allows Glass to cement his NHL niche in the city he grew up in.

Other Potential Fits: Andrew Mangiapane, Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Drouin, Andrei Kuzmenko, Corey Perry