Vilardi 'super grateful the Jets believe in me' after signing contract

Gabriel Vilardi said he will be investing in warmer clothes after making the move from the Los Angeles Kings to the Winnipeg Jets this season, but is excited to join his new team.

The 23-year-old forward signed a two-year, $6.875 million contract with Winnipeg on Wednesday, with an average annual value of $3.4375 million, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for July 28.

"It'll be different for sure," Vilardi said Thursday. "L.A. was great, the fans were great there, I loved playing there, but it's not the same as playing in a Canadian market, for sure. I'm excited for that, and it'll definitely be a different experience going from the beach in L.A. where nobody knows you to Winnipeg. It'll be fun, though, I'm excited. But yeah, I do have to get some warmer clothes."

Vilardi was acquired by Winnipeg, along with forwards Alex Iafallo, 29, and Rasmus Kupari, 23, and a second-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, in exchange for 25-year-old forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on June 27.

Vilardi had a breakthrough season with the Kings (47-25-10) in 2022-23, with career highs in goals (23), assists (18) and points (41) in 63 games. He had four points (two goals, two assists) in five Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Kings, who were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the Western Conference First Round.

"[The trade] did take me by surprise a little bit, but it's just part of hockey, that's the way it goes," Vilardi said. "You go where you're wanted kind of thing, so I'm super grateful the Jets believe in me and wanted me, and I'm hopeful I can prove them right, keep growing my game and become an even better player."

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Selected by Los Angeles in the first round (No. 11) of the 2017 NHL Draft, the Kingston, Ontario native was hampered by a back injury early in his career. Vilardi was limited to 40 games between the Kings (10 games) and Ontario of the American Hockey League from 2018 to 2020. He split his time between the AHL and NHL until making the jump to Los Angeles fulltime last season.

"[Last season] was a bit of a breakthrough for me, and I did struggle with injuries early in my career and in my first few years playing pro," Vilardi said. "It definitely didn't go the way I imagined and hoped it would go, but it's part of the process and part of growing as a player. It's great that I had a successful year last year, but I definitely want to keep improving. I see myself doing even better and I just want to keep growing my game and that's how I kind of look at it."

Drafted on the strength of a 61-point season (29 goals, 32 assists) with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League in 2016-2017, Vilardi was not able to gain traction early on at the pro level due to injury, which was also difficult mentally. He was able to overcome the setback, however, and is back on track to becoming an effective top-six forward.

"Yeah, it was just as hard mentally as it was physically," Vilardi said. "When you're not playing and you're sitting around and constantly rehabbing and worried about the injuries, especially right after you get drafted, it's tough. That's when you want to prove to the organization that drafts you that you could be the player they thought you were, especially being a high pick. It [stinks] whenever you miss time, but it's behind me now and that was just part of my process."

The Jets were happy to get Vilardi in the deal for Dubois, who was a pending unrestricted free agent and signed an eight-year, $68-million contract with the Kings ($8.5 million AVV), on the day of the trade.

"I think you really saw last year his coming out party as far of what he brings to the table," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said of Vilardi on June 28. "I look forward to having him continue to grow."

Winnipeg (46-33-3) was fourth in the Central Division last season and was the second wild card from the Western Conference into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets were eliminated in the first round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

"I thought they were really good last year," Vilardi said. "In the playoffs, they battled with Vegas, and I think if they didn't lose (Mark) Scheifele (to injury), they could have gone even further. They have a great team and I'm super excited to be joining them, and hopefully, I can help them out. We'll see how it goes."