Was Mathieu Perreault A Good Signing?

Looking Back at the Winnipeg Jets Signing of UFA Mattieu Perreault —

After watching all the marquis names being signed on the opening day of “Free Agent Frenzy” on July 1st, I have to admit I was a little envious of what our competitors in the Central Division were up to. It seemed like everybody in the division was improving either by trade or UFA signings. I realized long before I turned on TSN’s coverage of the annual July 1st meat market that the Winnipeg Jets were going to be a non-factor with the “big name UFAs” in spite of rumors they had been in contact with their representatives during the schmoozing period.

So …. was Mathieu Perreault a good signing?

You bet he was.

I must admit I was a little shocked and very pleasantly surprised at the signing of Mathieu Perreault. This is a very under-rated signing in comparison to some of the big name UFA’s but it might be one of the better free agent signings.

Mathieu Perreault

1. The term and dollars made sense. A 3 year deal at $3,000,000 per season works for me.

2. Mathieu Perreault’s age. He turned 26 this past January.

3. He has 6 years of pro hockey under his belt in both the AHL and NHL.

4. His numbers are trending in the right direction and his best hockey is probably still ahead of him.

5. He looks like the type of player that will fit in nicely with the style of hockey the Winnipeg Jets want to play.

6. And most importantly, he is a very good skating, skilled center with a very good skill-set that has a scoring pedigree.

Winnipeg Jets GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff, gets a lot of criticism on social media and talk radio and sometimes it’s deserved but lets give credit where credit is due. The signing of center Mathieu Perreault was a solid and shrewd move that should pay immediate dividends.

What’s next?

The Winnipeg Jets need to get RFA forward Michael Frolik under contract. Then, they will know how much spare change they have left to spend in their self imposed salary cap, aka a budget.

Do the Winnipeg Jets try and sign another UFA or look at teams with salary cap problems or both? There are teams that are going to have, or already have, salary cap problems (ie. Philadelphia and Chicago). Some good deals can still be had with some good timing but, it is also a risky proposition. If you wait too long, you could really miss the boat.

Please leave you comments below on how you feel about the Mathieu Perreault signing.