You can forgive Winnipeg Jets’ fans for having a touch of PTSD.
They just saw dynamic forward Nikolaj Ehlers walk as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer, leaving a hole on the top six that will be tough to fill.
Now, sharp-shooting left winger Kyle Connor is in the last year of his contract; talks over the offseason didn’t produce a new deal.
Could the same situation as Ehlers occur, and should Jets fans be concerned Connor hasn’t signed on the dotted line?
Connor Not Willing to Tip Hand on Contract Status
On the first day of Jets’ training camp, Connor gave a diplomatic non-answer as to where things stand.
“All I can do is control how I come to the rink every day and that stuff will take care of itself,” the Jets’ 2015 first rounder said Thursday. “I’m really just focused on myself and being the best player that I can. Let the business take care of the business.”
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets celebrate a third period goal against the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
Connor had kind words for the organization, saying “it’s a great community. Obviously it’s a family here.”
“We pride ourselves on community, and it’s a close-knit group. You can just feel that in the relationships around the room,” Connor, who is married and has a young daughter with his wife Ally, continued.
Words don’t mean much, though. Ehlers praised Winnipeg, but still decided it wasn’t a good enough place to continue his career and decided to leave for Carolina.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff admitted he’d like to have a deal done already.
“We’ve had great dialogue with KC’s representatives and we continue to have that,” Cheveldayoff said. “You’d like to have it done yesterday. Those are things that you keep pushing towards. Every conversation, you’re hopeful that this is the one that closes it type thing. But it’s not… I don’t know that it’s a timeframe sort of thing. You just keep on working at it. I wouldn’t even say grinding at it. It’s just working at it.” (From “Excited to build on what we’ve been doing,” Winnipeg Free Press, Sept. 18, 2025.)
Connor has been a key member of the Jets’ first line and offensive attack for nearly a decade. He is coming off a 2024-25 where he lead the team in goals (41) and assists (56) for a career-high 97 points; the talented sniper and underrated playmaker has 582-career points in 613 regular-season games (284 goals, 298 assists) and 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 59-career playoff games.
Related: Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 Stat Leader Predictions
He has scored 30-plus goals in seven separate seasons and is 12th in goals league wide since 2016-17, his first full NHL season. Quite simply, he’s not someone who can be replaced.
Connor Would Be Highest-Paid Jet; Has Term Options
Given the NHL salary cap set to rise significantly in the coming years, it’s safe to say Connor, if he were to re-sign, would be the highest-paid Jet by a longshot. $11 to $12 million annually is not out of the question; David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported earlier this month that his new deal “will start with a $1 followed by at least seven zeroes.”
While a long-term deal similar to the identical seven-year ones Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele signed in 2023 prior to opening night would suit Cheveldayoff and company just fine, Connor could opt instead for two-to-three year contract in hopes of getting one more, even bigger payday on something longer-term at age 30 or 31 when the salary cap is north of $110 million.
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor is congratulated by his teammates (Terrence Lee-Imagn Images)
If the Jets are to re-sign Connor, the sooner they get it done, the better. As a team that seems poised to challenge for the postseason again after their 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy winning campaign, they likely won’t trade him at the 2026 Trade Deadline despite his pending UFA status. The “will-he, won’t-he” narrative surrounding Ehlers was a season-long distraction and looming cloud, and the Jets won’t want a repeat if they can avoid it.
With the puck yet to drop on 2025-26, it’s not time for panic about Connor’s lack of new contract yet. Connor says he’s going to “kind of leave that to the business side of it.”
But with every day that passes, Jets’ fans hackles will certainly raise just a little more, and understandably so. They’ve seen this show before, and the finale was a dud.
