The Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter has been around for a while, but right now it doesn’t sound like anything is nearing the finish line.
On The Chris Johnston Show, Chris Johnston said the Winnipeg Jets are not close to moving their star goalie, and the teams that have checked in don’t sound eager to meet a big asking price.
Buffalo has been one of the clubs tied to the discussion. Johnston said the Sabres made a serious push for Hellebuyck around the draft and have since circled back as summer wound down. But he also made clear that there’s no sign of a deal coming together.
“Now that being said, I have no reason at this point to believe anything’s close with anybody.”
Johnston framed the situation as a difficult one for Winnipeg. The Jets have already locked up Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey, and with the club’s market challenges, he said the team can’t make a move that sends the wrong message to the core pieces already in place.
At the same time, he said there isn’t a huge sense of urgency around the league. Hellebuyck’s value is obvious - Johnston pointed to the gold medal game in Milan in February and the kind of presence he would give a team in a Game 7 - but interested clubs are not acting like they have to pay whatever it takes.
Johnston mentioned Buffalo, Carolina and the Utah Mammoth as teams that have at least kicked tires, but he said none of them appear ready to make a “crazy trade.” In his view, the market is waiting to see whether Hellebuyck’s price drops into a range that makes more sense.
For now, he called the situation “pretty stalemated.” He also noted that training camp has not even opened yet, and the goalie market could still shift if injuries hit early in camp.
The Jets, Johnston said, are under no pressure to move Hellebuyck. The request has hung over the summer, but he doesn’t think Winnipeg has reached the point where a deal is close enough to seriously consider.
The return would matter a lot to the Jets if they do eventually move him. Johnston said Winnipeg would want more than just a goalie back, and he pointed to the team’s need down the middle as a major factor. He mentioned that the Jets have been searching for help at center for a while, including past moves for Sean Monahan and the decision to sign Jonathan Toews out of retirement for last year.
That makes a center, ideally one still on the rise, the kind of piece Winnipeg would want in any Hellebuyck return.
Johnston also said the Jets could live with reworking the goaltending position if they had to. He referenced the fact that Stuart Skinner was signed in free agency, while making clear that Skinner would not replace what Hellebuyck has provided. Still, he pointed out that teams can win by piecing together the crease, including Carolina’s Stanley Cup run with three goalies dressing in the Final and two playing, one of them a waiver claim.
Utah was also part of the discussion because of its prospect pool. Johnston said the Mammoth have the kind of assets that could make a trade work, but he added that they are not offering that kind of package right now. For the moment, he said they appear to be waiting to see whether the price comes down enough to create an opportunity.
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