The Carolina Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup.
Clearly, they aren’t content with just that triumph, though. They want more, and they want Connor Hellebuyck to help them make it happen.
Hellebuyck is the gold medalist goalie who remains with the Winnipeg Jets despite an offseason filled with trade rumors.
The NHL regular season begins on Tuesday night, and Hellebuyck hasn’t moved yet, but it sounds like a deal is still possible.
The question starts to become what would actually get a trade over the line.
It sounds like Carolina possesses the answer if they can align the pieces in the right way.
Hurricanes’ Connor Hellebuyck Trade Outlook
It sounds like the defenseman Alexander Nikishin might be the key here.
As Nikishin pursues a contract extension, he might not be long for Carolina, but the idea of him ending up in Winnipeg doesn’t appear to be working, either.
The Hurricanes might need another team involved to get a trade done — with the St. Louis Blues a possibility.
This is how Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explained all that in his new 32 Thoughts column on Tuesday:
“Right now, Carolina is the most motivated pursuer. If Nikishin wanted to sign in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck would already be in Wolfpack country. There are now some teams with permission to speak to Nikishin (who just changed agents), and the suspicion is it’s because the Hurricanes want to see if there’s a three-way available. I mentioned on Monday’s pod that Nikishin is believed to be looking for a $9 million AAV over five years. I had a few sources reach out to say they think that could be lower in the right situation. St. Louis has been a consistent pursuer, and there are some who are surprised it hasn’t happened. Nashville tried, but wasn’t close enough for what Carolina wants. The Hurricanes were disappointed the Rangers trade didn’t work out and made it clear they would move Nikishin at their own pace. They are motivated now, so we’ll see. Nikishin is a talented player, but has zero leverage under the CBA.”
There wasn’t a lot of speculation this offseason about a Hellebuyck three-team trade, but that could make sense since Winnipeg clearly hasn’t aligned too well with just a single trading partner on how to move Hellebuyck.
If the Blues really do want Nikishin, they could be the perfect middle man to help make a Hellebuyck to the Hurricanes trade happen.
Why Alexander Nikishin
Nikishin wants big money, and teams want to trade for him, and for good reason.
The Russian defenseman will turn 25 on Oct. 2, and he’s 6-foot-3, 218 pounds and a big contributor. He had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in the 2025-26 regular season for Carolina while being a plus-18.
That was just his rookie season after arriving in North America, and the ceiling appears very high for Nikishin.
The Hurricanes probably wouldn’t give him up for anything less than full value, but Hellebuyck sure feels like full value.
Hurricanes’ Connor Hellebuyck Trade Depends on Alexander Nikishin, St. Louis Blues