The Winnipeg Jets are finding out the hard way that a big name doesn’t guarantee a big return. Connor Hellebuyck’s trade market has been slow to develop, and the offers coming back haven’t been close to what Winnipeg wants. That’s left a messy situation hanging over a team that still wants to compete, not tear things down.
TSN insider Darren Dreger said teams have been in touch about the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, but the proposals sent back to the Jets have been “terrible.” Dreger also said Hellebuyck is unlikely to waive his no-trade clause for a Canadian destination, which narrows the field even more.
The Athletic’s Murat Ates suggested the weak market may be forcing a reality check on Hellebuyck’s value, while also noting Winnipeg may have reduced its own leverage by waiting until after the draft and July 1 to seriously push the situation forward. Elliotte Friedman said the talks have been very quiet and added that the Jets are not interested in moving Hellebuyck for futures.
“Winnipeg has made it very clear that they are also not doing it for futures. They don’t want to make their team worse. Any trade they make for Hellebuyck or other trades around it, Winnipeg wants to compete.”
That stance could drag this all the way into training camp, which would only make an already uncomfortable situation more awkward.
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Wild took care of their own business by extending head coach John Hynes, keeping him from entering the season on the final year of his deal. Martin St.
Louis had recently been in a similar spot before landing an extension, and Pierre LeBrun pointed to a handful of other coaches still working under that kind of uncertainty: Joel Quenneville, Jared Bednar, Scott Arniel, Ryan Warsofsky and Rick Bowness. Andrew Brunette is another name to watch, with one season left and a team option for 2027-28.
There’s also a deadline squeeze building in Anaheim, where the Ducks and restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier are still trying to hammer out an extension. LeBrun said Tuesday is a key day in those talks, and Anaheim put a new offer on the table Sunday.
The two sides still had more to sort through and were expected to meet again. The wrinkle is the old CBA expiring tonight, which matters because of how front-loaded rules change in the new agreement.
LeBrun noted, “But if a deal doesn’t get done before the old CBA expires tonight, then there’s an issue because of how the front-loaded rules change in the new CBA. And the front-loaded money is an important part of the current discussion.”
That means Gauthier isn’t just pushing for a strong AAV. He also wants a contract built with signing bonuses and front-loaded money.
The Vancouver Canucks are dealing with a similar clock, and Rick Dhaliwal said the talks with RFA Liam Ohgren were pretty quiet as of Tuesday morning. “Things can change with 1 phone call, but I was told this morning, very quiet between the Canucks and free agent Liam Ohgren in contract talks.”
If the sides can’t bridge the gap soon, Vancouver could lose the chance to sign him to the maximum eight-year term. At the same time, Ohgren is still viewed as a bit of a wildcard, so the Canucks may not be eager to lock themselves into that long of a deal.
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets are trying to get Adam Fantilli under contract before camp gets rolling. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote, “Deals are getting done.
Have to believe Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and Adam Fantilli’s agent, Pat Brisson, will be hard at work today.” He added that players report for physicals on Wednesday and hit the ice on Thursday, and nobody wants the 21-year-old No. 1 center missing the start of camp.
In Other News...
Ducks Just Made A Massive Cutter Gauthier Statement
Cutter Gauthiers breakout season gave the Ducks a legitimate cornerstone to build around, and Anaheim wasted little time treating him like one. The club re-signed the restricted free-agent forward on a long-term deal after he led the team in goals and points, a strong follow-up to the trade that brought him over from Philadelphia in January 2024.
The contract also says plenty about where the organization sees him in the pecking order, since it makes him the clubs second-highest-paid player. There is a timing element to the agreement, too, with a significant chunk of the money structured in signing bonuses before the leagues new limits come into play, which only adds to the sense that the Ducks moved decisively to lock in one of their most important young pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Made A Huge Cutter Gauthier Commitment
The Ducks made their commitment to Cutter Gauthier official with a six-year extension, a deal that puts a major piece of their future squarely in place. It is the kind of move that says Anaheim is not waiting around to see what he becomes, but betting on him now as part of the core around which the roster keeps taking shape.
The timing matters, too, because the contract was finished before the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect, giving the team some flexibility in how it can be structured. Gauthier has said he is excited to sign long term with Anaheim, and the organization clearly views him as more than just another young scorer, even if the full financial and roster implications will keep being felt well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Made Their Biggest Bet Yet On Cutter Gauthier
The Ducks have made their biggest commitment yet to Cutter Gauthier, locking up the young forward after a breakout stretch that quickly made him central to their future. Gauthier had reached restricted free agency coming off his entry-level deal, and Anaheim moved decisively to keep one of its most important pieces in place after he emerged as a key driver in the clubs push back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Originally drafted by the Flyers before landing in Anaheim ahead of his first NHL contract, Gauthier has already become more than just a promising name in the organization. The new deal reflects how much the Ducks believe in his trajectory, and it also puts a spotlight on the price of keeping a player who has already started to look like a foundational scorer as the roster tries to take its next step. [Read more 🡒]