With free agency set to open next Wednesday, the Winnipeg Jets have a decision to make. The core is in place, the expectations are high, and another early playoff exit is not something this organization can afford to accept as the new normal. What is missing is the secondary scoring and physical presence that separates a good regular season team from one capable of making a genuine run in May and June.

Winnipeg averaged just 2.79 goals per game this past season, a mark that tied the New York Islanders for seventh-worst in the entire NHL. Some of the names that could have addressed that problem have already come off the board, with Jason Dickinson and Bobby McMann among those who have been re-signed in recent days.

But there is still talent available heading into July 1st, and for a Jets team that knows it is in a championship window, passing on the right opportunity would be a costly mistake.

A Kane homecoming may not resonate with a Winnipeg fanbase that still remembers him from his days as an Atlanta Thrasher, however, the price tag this time around should be manageable. At 34, he is not the same player he once was, but he does not need to be. 

Kane posted 31 points in 71 games last season while averaging around 16 minutes a night in Vancouver, a workload that fits comfortably into a middle-to-bottom-six role with the Jets. What he brings beyond the points is harder to replace. His 17-point performance in 15 playoff games during Edmonton's 2021-22 run is the kind of postseason output Winnipeg has been searching for, and as recently as last spring he contributed 12 points in 21 playoff games. 

Health has been the variable throughout his career, but a fit and engaged Kane could be exactly the power forward presence this group has been missing when the stakes are highest.

Bunting is a player whose value is easy to underestimate until he is no longer in your lineup. The 30-year-old from Scarborough built his reputation on relentless forechecking and an ability to generate offense in the right situation, and on a team that gets him into a comfortable middle-six role, a 50-point season is not out of the question. 

Last season in Dallas was a down year by his standards, finishing with just 33 points, but his value was affirmed when the Stars surrendered a third-round pick to acquire him from Nashville ahead of their playoff run. Contending teams do not give up draft capital for players they do not believe in. 

For a Jets team that has at times lacked urgency in puck pursuit, Bunting's motor and forechecking instincts are exactly the kind of traits that can change the tone of a line.

Laughton does not always jump off the page when you look at the box score, but coaches and teammates consistently speak to how much better their team functions when he is in the lineup. The veteran center is an elite penalty killer, a reliable two-way player, and the kind of high-IQ presence that stabilizes a depth line on a legitimate contender. 

His role draws natural comparisons to what Nicholas Roy provided for this year's Colorado Avalanche championship team, and that alone should be enough to get Winnipeg's attention. The market for Laughton will be quietly competitive. The Maple Leafs sent a first-round pick to Philadelphia to acquire him not long ago, and he was later moved to Los Angeles for a second. That kind of trade value does not accumulate by accident, and the Jets should not hesitate to make a strong push.

Tolvanen has never quite lived up to the billing that came with being a first-round pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2017, but at 27 years old, the conversation around his ceiling is not finished. He offered a reminder of what he is capable of during the Winter Olympics, contributing three points in five games as Finland claimed a bronze medal. 

Over four seasons in Seattle he has been one of the more consistent forwards on the roster, putting up 139 points in 288 games and adding 36 more this past season in 78 appearances. The most compelling case for bringing him to Winnipeg is the possibility of pairing him with fellow Finn Brad Lambert, a combination that could bring out the best in both players and deliver the reliable middle-six contributor the Jets have been searching for.

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