Now that Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has publicly made it known he’s requested a trade, NHL teams will be reaching out to General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
One of those could be the San Jose Sharks, as this organization is back on the rise in the Western Conference.
While the Jets could demand a large return for Hellebuyck, GMs across the league have been aware of this trade developing. Moreover, they’ve followed the situation as much as any fan has since this spring.
Cheveldayoff and the Jets said in response to Hellebuyck’s post on Thursday that they will respond to his request in a thoughtful manner.
Winnipeg does not have an update beyond that at this point.
What a trade to San Jose may look like
Grier and the Sharks currently have roughly $3 million in current cap space, according to Puck Pedia. Additionally, they also have their first-round picks for at least the next three seasons.
Should the Jets want a clean break from their elite netminder, no salary retention would be ideal. Keep in mind that Winnipeg has all three retention slots available.
Since Hellebuyck has 5 more years left with an average annual salary of $8.5 million, any party trading for him may try to sweeten the pot to get Winnipeg to retain any salary.
For San Jose, would they entertain moving pending restricted free agent Will Smith? That may not be on the table for Grier, but should Winnipeg want to go the rebuild route, adding Smith would be attractive.
According to a post on X from San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, star forward Macklin Celebrini would like to see Smith around for years to come.
“Everyone in our room hopes he’s here for a long time. It’s not really my business; that’s something that they’ve got to sort out. But for sure, I’m hoping that that gets done,” Celebrini told reporters.
The young superstar also mentioned that he and Smith have respectively moved out of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau’s houses. Now, they will be roommates.
So, perhaps that may not be the cards for Grier, but of the immediate players that come to mind, Smith would be a top one to consider for the Jets.
Swapping goalies on the table for Sharks-Jets trade
The Sharks may not want to deal most of their offensive talent, but should the Jets want to approach a rebuild or brief setback, then another goalie may get involved.
Yaroslav Askarov has already been traded once before from the Nashville Predators to the Sharks. However, this is new territory for the Sharks as a proven elite goalie is on the market.
San Jose would be getting a surefire Gold Medalist in Hellebuyck, and Winnipeg gets one of the most prominent goalie prospects in the NHL.
Askarov went 21-20-4 last season for the Sharks during his first full NHL season. While it’s not the most attractive record, the Sharks are still taking steps to become a threat again.
If they were to get Hellebuyck from the Jets and base a trade around Askarov, then on paper that could boost the Sharks in a significant way that was not on the table last season.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Destination for Hellebuyck Amid Trade Request Going Public