Connor Hellebuyck’s path to New Jersey wasn’t a straight line, and according to Elliotte Friedman, it never really got close to one. On his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman laid out the teams he believed were genuinely involved in trade talks for the goaltender, and explained why each possible deal hit a wall.
Florida looked like the front-runner early. Friedman said the Panthers may have been Hellebuyck’s first choice before the list widened, but the hold-up came from Winnipeg’s end.
Florida reportedly put together an offer centered on a player and draft picks, yet the Jets weren’t convinced by the player return or by the idea of taking a goalie back. At that stage, Winnipeg needed one because they didn’t have Stuart Skinner or Clay Stevenson.
Florida’s position also shifted because the Panthers had no goalie to include in the trade. The names in play included Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, and the draft picks Florida later sent to the Ottawa Senators in the Brady Tkachuk deal.
Friedman made clear that Anton Lundell was never part of it. By the time Winnipeg felt better about its goaltending situation heading into the June draft, Florida had already moved the picks elsewhere.
Asked whether the Jets would do that deal now, Friedman said, “It’s all guesswork,” he said.
Buffalo also surfaced in the conversations, but that route never got over the finish line either. Friedman said there was buzz around the Sabres’ involvement, and one concern was the injury history of a player Winnipeg asked about.
He also dismissed another rumored name as unrealistic. The real snag, though, was the draft-pick swap Winnipeg wanted.
The Jets were supposed to get Buffalo’s 4th overall pick, while the Sabres wanted the 8th overall pick in return. Winnipeg wouldn’t agree to that exchange.
Utah was in the picture as well. Friedman said the Mammoth were “absolutely” part of the mix at one point, though he doesn’t know exactly what they offered.
His read is that Utah backed away because it couldn’t include Karel Vejmelka in the deal. He also raised the possibility that timing or contract issues played a role in whether Hellebuyck could have joined them before or after free agency opened July 1, though he stressed he doesn’t know which.
Carolina made a serious push too. Friedman said the Hurricanes badly wanted Hellebuyck, but they couldn’t land a forward Winnipeg wanted.
GM Eric Tulsky worked the phones, but he wasn’t willing to move Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, or Seth Jarvis. A source told Friedman the Hurricanes were “aggressive” and trying to figure out which player the Jets had in mind, but they couldn’t secure the piece they could then flip.
Friedman said it sounds like Carolina was left frustrated that it couldn’t get the job done.
Even with all that movement, Friedman said he doesn’t have the complete picture on every team or every detail. “I don’t know if I’ll ever find out everything for sure,” he said, but these were the clubs he believes were truly in the race.
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