Gabriel Vilardi has made his intentions known: he wants to win. And as he believes, his best odds at doing so come with the Winnipeg Jets. On Friday afternoon, Vilardi and the Jets put pen to paper on a six-year, $45 million contract that will see the 25-year-old forward stick around Manitoba's capital city through 2031. He joins Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk as the longest contracted players currently wearing the polar night blue. Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/93a15810-2f3a-433c-a966-db17610b31c8.jpeg] Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today Vilardi, who joined the Jets by way of trade in the Pierre-Luc Dubois blockbuster two summers back, turned into the key piece of the deal - which also included mainstay depth forward Alex Iafallo (who has also since signed an extension), draft pick Alfons Freij and the since-departed Rasmus Kupari. Born in Kingston, ON., Vilardi has been immersed in the Canadian hockey culture since a young age. He played his junior hockey primarily with the nearby Windsor Spitfires before concluding his OHL career with his hometown Frontenacs. Drafted 11th overall in 2017, Vilardi bounced between the Los Angeles Kings and Ontario Reign over the first four seasons of his professional career. He only became an every day weapon for Los Angeles the season prior to his trade to Winnipeg. Injuries have been the tale of the tape for Vilardi thus far, as the six-year NHL/AHL vet has never played a full campaign. Mainly battling a bad back with the Kings, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound forward suffered a freak knee injury near the start of the 2023-24 season, before coming back in the later stages of the season. He made it through the majority of the 2024-25 year before going down with an upper-body setback near the end of the year. He missed time but returned in the playoffs for Winnipeg. Vilardi, who asserts himself as a dominant net-front presence, found a home with fellow winger Kyle Connor and centreman Mark Scheifele on the team's top line the last two seasons. He dazzled with the puck in his spot atop the crease on the team's No. 1 power play unit as well. Should he find a way to remain healthy for at least 80 percent of the games Winnipeg plays over the next six season, Vilardi should operate at a rate of production good enough - if not better - than the money sent his way commands. Having earned $18 million over the course of his career thus far, Vilardi nearly tripled that with one stroke of a pen. Should good health and quality teammates follow him, success could be in the recipe. What Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois couldn't handle (the ongoing media presence, daily spotlight, cold winters) Vilardi seems to enjoy. Never one to appear series during his scrums, he has entertained Jets fans through his nonchalant answers and jokester mentality. His Macarena goal song further adds to his playful wit. He, and Iafallo alike, appear content in the cold climate. Despite Vilardi's comment of "needing to put in some time" in America's west coast with his girlfriend Megan Rodgers - a Southern California gal. The Jets received 27 goals and 61 points from Vilardi in 71 games last season and 22 goals and 36 points in 47 games the past year. That averages .42 goals and .82 points per game. With Vilardi in the lineup over the past two seasons, Winnipeg is a stellar 82-30-6 - all numbers head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff would surely love to see repeated six times over. But next up for Vilardi: making it through a full 82-game campaign.
