Another brutal preseason injury for the Winnipeg Jets, this time in their final exhibition game on Friday night. The word is now in, and Cole Perfetti has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle, per head coach Scott Arniel, that will keep him out “week-to-week.”
Scott Arniel says that Cole Perfetti has an ankle injury and he’s week-to-week. #NHLJets pic.twitter.com/7Rl80qvIuS
— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) October 5, 2025
Perfetti’s leg bent awkwardly as he went into the corner to finish a check. You can see him shaking his leg and then bent over in pain.
This was Cole Perfetti’s last shift. You can see his discomfort.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel post-game:
“With Perfetti lower-body injury. We gotta get him home here. First glance doesn’t look great. We’ll see when we get home. Hopefully it’s not as bad as we’re hoping.” pic.twitter.com/pHWszyuEhM
— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) October 4, 2025
The 23-year-old winger had his best season last year, notching 50 points while playing all 82 regular-season games. The former first-round pick of the Jets (10th overall, 2020 NHL Draft) will be sorely missed in the Jets’ top-six this season.
Perfetti is going into the final season of a two-year bridge deal with a $3.25 million cap hit. He’ll become a restricted free agent after the year, but is looked at as a key core player for the team.
It’s the second significant injury they’ve suffered in a week, as defenseman Dylan Samberg will be sidelined six to eight weeks after fracturing his wrist in an exhibition game.
The Jets will be one of the teams thrilled when the NHL reduces the number of preseason games next year.
© James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images