Newly-acquired forward Gabe Vilardi speaks on his excitement towards the 2023-24 season in Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Jets made a big splash in dealing away Pierre-Luc Dubois.
No, the Quebec native did not receive the highly-rumoured homecoming that he may - or may not have - desired. But rather, he was shipped to Los Angeles, to whom paid a king's ransom for his services.
Officially a sign-and-trade, the Jets inked Dubois to an eight-year, $68-million contract before shipping him to Los Angeles in exchange for a package that includes forwards Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, as well as a 2024 second-round pick (originally from Montreal).
The Jets' general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff certainly did his due diligence in searching out a Canadian player to whom appears highly interested in suiting up in his home country.
While doing an interview with NHL Network, Vilardi re-emphasized his excitement to be a Jets, while touching on his new two-year contract signed earlier in the month.
"Excitement, from both of them, which is awesome for me," Vilardi told NHL Network when asked about Cheveldayoff and his new head coach Rick Bowness. "I'm glad that they want me, so that's always important. They traded for me, so obviously they want me in the lineup and want me there; I'm excited to get there and hopefully win games."
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And on his new two-year, $6.875 million bridge deal, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward made it clear that his role in the contract was minimal.
"I am just happy to get it over with," he laughed. "It's mostly just my agent doing everything. I don't really do much. He just keeps me posted on what's going on. I'm glad it's over with. If they trade for you, they want you. As I just mentioned. I had a great few years in L.A. and I'm excited now that I'm in Winnipeg. and just excited to get there."
A big part of the excitement in Winnipeg is the feeling come playoff time. Sure, playing at the former Staples Arena would certainly provide some level of postseason hype, but according to Vilardi, the Canadian atmosphere is one he is looking forward to being a part of.
"Yeah that's something I am really looking forward to, just playing in Canada," he said in his interview.
"I great up watching Hockey Night in Canada and seeing the whiteout in Winnipeg. Obviously, last year playing in Edmonton, they were all orange; it’s cool. It’s awesome to see fans so passionate. They love the game and they love their team. So it’s going to be a cool experience and I’m really excited to play there.”
Last year Vilardi had 23 goals and 41 points in 63 regular season games, before scoring twice and adding another two helpers in five postseason contests. He will look to bring his offence to a new-look Winnipeg offence this fall.