The Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck are still technically a partnership.
Hellebuyck isn’t playing, though. The star goalie still wants to be traded. It just hasn’t happened yet.
The context is getting sillier now that the Jets have begun the season 4-1-1. They don’t have to rush a Hellebuyck deal, or even attempt to rush him back to the ice.
Clearly, though, Winnipeg has never been in a rush here. If they had been, they would’ve traded Hellebuyck over the summer.
Instead, he remains a part of the Jets organization, even if it’s mostly a technicality at this point.
Hellebuyck’s presence, though, and the fast start can make you wonder: Could he actually stay?
It doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards.
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Update
Sportsnet’s Jeff Hamilton wrote a new article on Wednesday night that pours cold water on the idea that Hellebuyck could remain in Winnipeg.
“There is some chatter about Hellebuyck potentially returning to the team, while a few NHL clubs with slow starts have reportedly shown interest in an upgrade in net,” Hamilton wrote. “Most likely, Hellebuyck is traded, and life in Winnipeg without the three-time Vezina and Hart Trophy winner officially begins in earnest.”
That doesn’t solve everything, of course. Hellebuyck has been on the trade market for months and hasn’t moved anywhere.
There were the reports of a Buffalo Sabres deal over the summer that didn’t come to pass.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been thought to be involved at various points.
Hamilton goes on to mention the Utah Mammoth, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
Those are a lot of teams that could use goalie help, yes — but if one of them wanted Hellebuyck badly enough, and if the Jets were truly ready to deal him, wouldn’t it have happened already?
This isn’t a particularly easy spot for anyone to be in.
Connor Hellebuyck’s Role in Trade Wait
The reality is that Hellebuyck also has a lot of power in this situation and is at least part of the reason nothing has happened yet.
“It starts with acknowledging who holds the cards,” Hamilton writes. “The 33-year-old has five more years on his contract at an $8.5-million cap hit — and a full no-move clause. Combine that with the reality of the NHL goalie market favouring buyers, even for the best netminders in the world. Then add in the Jets front office operating in compete-now mode that requires a premium return, and suddenly, a simple hockey trade seems anything but.”
Hamilton adds that it’s believed Hellebuyck wants to go to a playoff-bound team based in the United States.
That’s all well and good, but until a trade actually happens, Hellebuyck doesn’t seem like he’ll be returning to the ice. It’s a waiting game for everyone involved.
Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck Trade Wait Points Toward Ending