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Broken Lift, Life-Changing Call: How Cole Perfetti Learned his Future at the Lake
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- Broken Lift, Life-Changing Call: How Cole Perfetti Learned his Future at the Lake
Cole Perfetti wasn't sitting around at home waiting for his phone to ring, and he certainly wasn't refreshing social media watching for breaking news.
Instead, the Winnipeg Jets' young forward was riding to the family cottage with his parents after his Sea Doo lift broke down, preparing to meet up with someone to help him sort it out when his cellphone buzzed.
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On the other end was his agent Pat Brisson.
Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today
"My Sea-Doo lift broke, so I had to go fix that and meet a guy up there," Perfetti told The Hockey News with a laugh. "We were driving up and got a call from Pat."
A few more conversations followed before the official call that every restricted free agent hopes to receive.
By late afternoon, the five-year contract extension was complete.
"It was awesome, obviously, having my parents there," Perfetti said. "Being able to be with them right away was awesome. I'll never forget that day for sure, just hanging out at the lake and enjoying that."
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Replacing that broken lift should now be a little easier for the 30-million-dollar man.
While the image of finalizing a multi-million-dollar contract in between repairing lake equipment made for a memorable story, it also capped off weeks of negotiations that both Perfetti and the Jets were determined to finish before they ever reached a salary arbitration hearing.
Although the 24-year-old officially filed for arbitration earlier this month - something he referred to as a procedural step taken to preserve his rights - he stressed there was never much desire from either side to actually appear before an arbitrator.
"We obviously had to file for arb and go through that process," Perfetti said. "I don't think it was ever a serious thought. I know on our side we definitely didn't want to go there.
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"My family, myself, we love it here. It was never any worry about that."
In Jets land, all players who have been required to square off with the front office in arbitration hearings over the years are no longer with the team (Jacob Trouba, Andrew Copp, Eric Comrie), and each had mentioned how damaging the process felt.
In the case of Perfetti, the two sides continued working toward common ground before eventually agreeing to the five-year deal that keeps one of Winnipeg's young core pieces under contract through the 2030-31 season.
For Perfetti, however, the biggest benefit of the contract isn't simply financial security, but rather peace of mind.
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Over the past three seasons, contract negotiations have become a familiar part of his summers, including a prolonged negotiation two years ago that extended into training camp.
This time was just a tad different. And not only due to his new representation.
There was a timeline due to arbitration, which allowed him to approach the offseason with a new outlook: a deal was going to get done. There really was no waiting around.
"It was a lot easier this year," Perfetti said. "Knowing the date and knowing that it's going to be done in this time, it just put my mind at ease a lot more. I felt really good about it."
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That feeling has only grown since putting pen to paper. Now entering what he hopes will be the longest offseason of his career, Perfetti said he's spent more time on the ice than ever before while feeling healthier than he has in years following last season's injury-plagued campaign.
"It's a completely different mindset, different approach this year."
"Two of the last three years have been contract years for me. There is a little bit of extra pressure. You want to make sure that you play well and perform.
"Now to be able to just kind of settle in for five years, dig my roots in and be able to just go be the person and player that I know I can be is really relaxing."
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The organization's commitment has also given him another boost. Perfetti believes a long-term investment from management sends a clear message about what the Jets expect him to become.
"The confidence that the organization instills in you, that the coaches instill in you, and that you get as an individual, is huge," he said.
"They're showing to you what they think of me and what they believe I can become, and the player that I can be. That goes a long way for your confidence."
With that confidence comes responsibility and some heightened expectations, fresh off the new deal.
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"I expect a lot from myself on the ice this year to take a major step from last year," he said.
"The management has obviously put that faith in me. So now it's my job to go out there and play and live up to those expectations.
"Leadership and responsibility comes with that as well. I'm definitely going to work on that and continue to grow not just as a player but as a person, within the community, at the rink, on the ice, everywhere within Winnipeg."
For now, though, the pressure of negotiations has been replaced by anticipation. The contract has been signed, the bag is secure, the future has been laid out.
And perhaps somewhere at the family lake, there's still a Sea Doo lift that reminds Cole Perfetti and his family of the day everything changed.
