The Winnipeg Jets aren’t big free agent spenders in a typical offseason. This is not a typical offseason, with needs that could swing wildly from second-line centre to starting goalie depending on the outcome of the Connor Hellebuyck trade talks.But our expectations of the Jets on July 1 should be the same. Next season’s $104 million salary cap will create bidding wars, despite a free agency class so thin that Michael Bunting cracks the top 10 on our big board. Look at the most famous names — Rasmus Andersson, Sergei Bobrovsky, John Carlson — and you won’t find players the Jets are likely to sign on the open market. Remember that Mathieu Perreault is the most impactful UFA the Jets have ever signed, way back in 2014-15 when he scored 41 points in 62 games. Jonathan Toews was the most expensive, at just $4.75 million including last season’s performance bonuses.Winnipeg is going to have ample cap space — perhaps as much as $14 million, depending on Cole Perfetti’s contract. But what are the Jets supposed to do in a poor UFA market, with Hellebuyck’s uncertain status affecting decisions in the background?The current rosterThe following roster has approximately $14 million in cap space to work with, assuming a cap hit near $6 million for Perfetti and a roster spot for Jack St. Ivany, the 6-foot-4 defenceman Winnipeg acquired for David Gustafsson on Monday afternoon.You will notice some holes.LWCRWKyle ConnorMark ScheifeleAlex IafalloCole Perfetti*Adam LowryGabriel VilardiCole KoepkeVladislav NamestnikovNino NiederreiterIsak RosenMorgan BarronBrad LambertNikita ChibrikovLDRDJosh MorrisseyDylan DeMeloDylan SambergNeal PionkHaydn FleuryJack St. IvanyElias SalomonssonGConnor HellebuyckThe Jets really do need a second-line centre, as general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said last week. There are those who believe 18-year-old top prospect Viggo Björck is ready for the job, but his NHL roster spot is not remotely guaranteed. There’s a solid chance he returns to Djurgårdens IF, where he was used as an all-situations matchup centre for the second half of last season. Cheveldayoff named Brayden Yager as a possibility last week, although one imagines a “win now” team is more likely to break Yager in slowly if he makes the NHL squad.Yager told The Athletic on Monday he hadn’t heard that Cheveldayoff had singled him out.“But I know that spot’s available. That’s going to be my goal coming into main camp,” Yager said. “I’m going to work my tail off for the rest of the summer and come into camp ready to fight for a job. I want to play in the NHL and I feel like I’m ready to play in the NHL.”Yager’s excitement at the opportunity was palpable. He spoke of putting in extra work back home in Saskatoon this offseason, with a full-time NHL job as his motivation.“That’s my dream, right?” Yager said. “And now you can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But the only thing I can control is my work ethic. I’m going to make the most of it.”Yager’s work ethic is exemplary. Björck’s potential is second to none in the Jets’ prospect pool. Still, you can understand the Jets pushing for a second-line centre in Hellebuyck trade negotiations. Anton Lundell would have solved a lot of problems, as would Ryan McLeod or Josh Norris. Failing that, an impact winger to open up space on the second line would help.Can the free agency market provide that?The case to pivot to UFA wingersThe top centres on the UFA market are players like Boone Jenner and Jack Roslovic. One is the Columbus Blue Jackets’ captain and the other was traded to Columbus in the Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois blockbuster. Neither is a likely signing or a surefire No. 2 centre, but Jenner is a player type the Jets could use. The rest of the market is similar: Scott Laughton, Erik Haula and Alex Kerfoot aren’t likely solutions, either. Maybe this is the year Winnipeg gives big minutes to top prospects after all.Anders Lee is the top winger on our UFA board. The 35-year-old scorer and outgoing New York Islanders captain is likely to be targeted by several teams; “winning” might mean offering extra term on a contract that ages poorly. He’s also representative of the market: UFAs skew older as a general rule, but this summer’s crop is older than usual. I don’t expect Winnipeg to be in on the Lee market, despite his roots in Edina, Minn.What’s left?The three most compelling options on the UFA market are Mason Marchment, Viktor Arvidsson and Vladimir Tarasenko. Marchment, 31, is an ideal blend of agitator and scorer, and finished last season scoring 32 points in 39 games for Columbus. In a typical offseason, Marchment could fly under the radar as a secondary or tertiary signing. In this one? He’s one of the top prizes and will be pursued by most teams.Arvidsson, 33, was productive for the Boston Bruins last season, scoring 54 points in 69 games after an uncharacteristically poor showing in Edmonton in 2024-25. The longtime Nashville Predator is a volume shooter who can still play at pace. He’s also chippy enough to win board battles and generate offence off the cycle; the concerns are age and injury history.Tarasenko, 34, reached the 20-goal mark last season for the first time since 2021-22 but was a defensive liability in Minnesota.Marchment is the most compelling of the group. He and his agent Paul Capizzano should be well aware of that, making an overpay more likely than not. It’s worth mentioning the idea of overpaying in the short term — perhaps two years at $9 million AAV, to use made-up numbers — but it seems like an unlikely proposition. Winnipeg’s better play would be to find the next Marchment by trade, if such a thing is possible.And Patrik Laine’s name will be discussed until he signs somewhere. The 28-year-old missed enough time last season to qualify for a one-year, bonus-laden contract, but I find it difficult to draw his flight path back to Winnipeg.What about younger options?The Toronto Maple Leafs’ lack of a qualifying offer for left wing Matias Maccelli makes him an option. Maccelli scored 57 points in 82 games for Arizona in 2023-24 but hasn’t been able to recreate that scoring consistency. He has playmaking ability and solid underlying numbers in a secondary scoring role and, at 25, is a much more compelling gamble for the top six than Gustav Nyquist was one year ago.One other option in this regard is Bobby Brink, the 5-foot-8 energy player from Minnetonka, Minn., who was not qualified by Minnesota. He’s 24 and has scored 98 points in 214 NHL games thus far.Comrie, Miller and StanleyWinnipeg needs a backup goaltender next season, whether Hellebuyck, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or an as-of-yet-undiscussed goaltender is the starter. Eric Comrie is a legitimate option. He loves Winnipeg, has signed and re-signed with Winnipeg multiple times, and would be open to signing with Winnipeg again on Wednesday. Comrie is coming off a two-year, $825,000 contract and should not be expensive this summer.There isn’t much competition in goal on the UFA market, but Stuart Skinner may have appeal in a backup role if Comrie is unavailable. Skinner was not the No. 1 solution Edmonton hoped for during the Oilers’ push to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, but the 6-foot-4, 27-year-old’s .902 career save percentage makes him a compelling backup option.The left side of Winnipeg’s defence corps could use an upgrade and if Cheveldayoff hasn’t closed the door to a Logan Stanley reunion, we shouldn’t write it off either. I’m not so sure about the five-year, $5 million AAV number I heard floated earlier this season, but expect the 28-year-old to garner UFA interest. Finally, Colin Miller signed a UFA contract with the Jets two seasons ago despite limited usage. The 33-year-old, right-shot defenceman could provide coverage for Elias Salomonsson’s injury and move back to the press box if it’s a job he wants, although newcomer St. Ivany may also play that role.Crashers, bangers, depth piecesThere are several depth forwards on our UFA board who offer the physicality the Jets are currently missing. Not all of them contribute a lot of scoring or puck possession.If A.J. Greer makes it to the market, the 6-foot-3, 209-pound winger who won a Stanley Cup with Florida in 2025 could make sense to the Jets. Winnipeg is short on sandpaper — Adam Lowry is most of it all by himself — and the 29-year-old Greer has that in spades. He’s also fast enough and contributes enough outside of his physicality to be a useful bottom-six player. Bangers like Mathieu Joseph and Brandon Duhaime contribute various levels of zero offence, but contribute defensively and finish their checks.Winnipeg’s physicality is likely to receive an offseason upgrade, whether it’s one of those depth forwards, a Stanley reunion or a promotion for Tyrel Bauer.Final thoughtsEvery single one of the players mentioned in this composition is a complementary piece, as opposed to a play-driver or star. That doesn’t make them all useless or unable to contribute to a winning team, while Winnipeg’s abundant cap space allows for inefficient spending as long as the player fits.The biggest takeaway? Winnipeg is unlikely to solve its second-line issues through unrestricted free agency, increasing the need for them to fill that hole by trade. If they can’t do that, then Yager and Björck’s odds of making the team go way up; 2026-27 would turn into a developmental year.