Earlier in the offseason, the Winnipeg Jets were rocked by the trade request of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, one of the best players in the NHL at his position and one of the best players in franchise history.
While the Jets did sign former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner to a multi-year deal in free agency over the summer, the club is still in much better hands with Hellebuyck as the starter.
That being said, Hellebuyck remains on the Jets roster for now with Training Camp only days away.
Winnipeg Jets Defenseman Josh Morrissey Opens Up About Connor Hellebuyck’s Trade Request
Even though Hellebuyck privately requested to be traded months ago, his longtime Jets teammate Josh Morrissey revealed that he found out about the trade request at the same time as everyone else – only very recently.
Speaking at the Jets’ local golf outing just days before Training Camp opens up, Morrissey acknowledged that it wasn’t easy seeing Hellebuyck request a trade out of town, but that he also knows it’s part of the business.
“It (stinks) when first and foremost a guy that I’ve played my whole career with and consider a really good friend feels the need to make a move,” Morrissey said via NHL.com. “Regardless of the details and everything else, I think just on that side of it, it (stinks) because he’s such a good friend, we’ve been together for so long.
“But it’s the nature of the business and guys want trades and things like that from time to time. It happened, but there is definitely that sort of personal relationship disappointment there.”
Naturally, there’s going to be some disappointment on Morrissey’s part if Hellebuyck, whom he views as one of the top goalies in the NHL, ultimately does get his wish of a trade granted.
“Obviously, ‘Helley’ is one of the best, if not the best, goalies in the world, and so having him in our lineup every day certainly … gives us a chance to win every night,” Morrissey said. “But I don’t know what that’s going to look like. Nobody knows if he’s going to be here or not or what a trade would look like, so I can’t say it makes us worse or whatever. That’s speculation. Obviously, we hope he’s back at some point and playing for us for a long time.”
Josh Morrissey Wants To Remain With The Jets
Meanwhile, Morrissey reaffirmed his commitment to the Jets.
“At the end of the day, I love being here. I love being a Jet,” he said. “That’s how I’ve always felt, and so that doesn’t change because of somebody else’s decision.”
He has two seasons left on his contract with a salary cap hit of $6,250,000. Like Hellebuyck, he’s played his entire NHL career with the Jets.
Winnipeg selected him in the opening round (13th overall pick) of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he’s skated in a total of 739 career games, scoring 94 goals with 334 assists for 428 points. He’s also tallied five goals with 15 assists in 54 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Josh Morrissey Reveals True Thoughts On Connor Hellebuyck’s Trade Request