The St. Louis Blues may not be chasing Connor Hellebuyck, but they could end up deciding where he lands.
That’s the twist in a situation that has started to look bigger than a simple goalie trade. According to Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Carolina Hurricanes have become the most aggressive team in the hunt for the Winnipeg Jets netminder. And because of Alexander Nikishin, Carolina may be looking at a three-team setup to get it done.
"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."
That’s where St. Louis suddenly enters the picture in a real way.
The Blues have already been tied to Nikishin, and Reuters reported before the season that St. Louis was among the teams interested in him after his trade request. Now the fit feels even more important because the whole structure of a possible Hellebuyck deal may depend on whether the Blues want to step in.
The logic is straightforward. Carolina wants Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg may not want Nikishin as the centerpiece of the return if he won’t sign there. And St.
Louis wants Nikishin.
That creates a path for a three-team solution.
In the simplest version, Winnipeg would send Hellebuyck to Carolina, Carolina would move Nikishin to St. Louis, and the Blues would send Winnipeg the kind of assets the Jets actually want in return.
That is not a reported trade package, and there is no indication the exact pieces have been agreed to. But it shows why the Blues could end up mattering so much here.
The obstacle for Carolina is not necessarily finding a team that values Nikishin. He’s a 24-year-old defenseman coming off a 33-point rookie season and a plus-18 mark in 81 games. The issue is whether Winnipeg can trust that he would actually stay.
Friedman’s point made that clear: if Nikishin wanted to sign in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck would already be in Carolina.
That opens the door for a different route, one that sends Nikishin to a team that wants him and gives Winnipeg something more immediate in return. St. Louis fits that role.
And the Blues have their own reasons to stay involved. Their defense already had questions heading into the season, and those concerns got bigger when Logan Mailloux was ruled out for at least eight weeks after hand surgery. A young defenseman with Nikishin’s upside would fill an obvious need.
For St. Louis, the Hellebuyck angle almost doesn’t matter.
The real question is whether Nikishin can become a major part of the blue line for years to come. If the Blues believe that, they could offer Winnipeg the sort of NHL-ready help or package it’s looking for.
That matters because the Jets are not simply trying to move on from Hellebuyck for the sake of it. Winnipeg missed the playoffs last season, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has said the team needs the right resolution. Hellebuyck requested a trade in August and was later suspended after not reporting to training camp.
So a futures-heavy return may not be enough. A deal that helps Winnipeg right away, with Carolina getting Hellebuyck and St. Louis landing Nikishin, could be a different conversation entirely.
What still isn’t known is the key part: what Winnipeg would actually want from the Blues.
That piece hasn’t been reported. But with Carolina looking for a way forward and St. Louis already connected to Nikishin, the Blues suddenly have a seat at the center of one of the NHL’s biggest possible trades.
They may not need Hellebuyck at all.
They may just need to be the team that makes the Nikishin part work.
In Other News...
Gostisbehere Broke Flyers Hearts Again In A Game Carolina Nearly Lost
Shayne Gostisbehere has a knack for making life miserable for his former team, and he did it again in a game Carolina had to survive. The Hurricanes squeezed out an overtime win over Philadelphia, with Gostisbehere finishing it off and extending a pattern that has already made him a recurring problem for the Flyers in clutch moments.
Philadelphia never found much rhythm offensively and also took a hit when Rasmus Ristolainen left with an injury, compounding an already difficult night. Joseph Wolls 37 saves helped Carolina hang around long enough to get the result, and the Hurricanes came away with their third win of the season while the Flyers were left wondering how many more familiar ghosts they can afford to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Found A Much Needed Answer In Their First Road Win
The Hurricanes first road trip of the season carried a little more meaning than just another early-night stop in Philadelphia. Carolina got Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mike Reilly into the lineup for their season debuts, while Pyotr Kochetkov got the start in goal as the club looked for a steadier answer away from home after opening the year on its own ice.
Carolina found one in overtime, where the offense finally broke through on the power play to finish a game that had plenty riding on it for an early October checkpoint. For a team still sorting out its rhythm and trying to settle new faces into the mix, the win gave the Hurricanes a useful lift and a clearer path heading into the rest of the road slate. [Read more 🡒]
Canes Finally Looked Like Themselves In A Win Fans Needed
After a rough stretch that had Carolina searching for its usual rhythm, Sunday night offered a cleaner, more familiar version of the Hurricanes. Sebastian Aho sparked the attack with two goals, including his first of the season and a power-play finish, and Carolina kept pressing through a tight game before getting the kind of result it had been chasing at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Pyotr Kochetkovs return added another layer to the night, giving the Hurricanes a steadier look in goal as they handled the pressure of a one-goal game. It was the sort of win Carolina needed to feel like itself again, even if the bigger question is whether this is the start of something more lasting or just a well-timed reset. [Read more 🡒]