Connor Hellebuyck’s name is starting to circle back toward the Winnipeg Jets, and not because this has suddenly become tidy.
On the October 10th edition of TFP’s Hotstove on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, David Pagnotta said there’s growing chatter that Hellebuyck is considering a return to Winnipeg. The reason is simple: he wants to play, and the standoff has dragged on long enough that the conversation is shifting.
“Let’s get into Connor Hellebuyck. This is just, I mean, the last number of months have been nuts with what’s happening, and he’s not with the team.
He’s spent all the stuff that everyone’s been speaking of. The saga continues.
You said you had some potential tidbits on the latest.”
Pagnotta said more updates could be coming soon, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the Hellebuyck situation gets addressed in the next few days. He pointed to more discussion possibly coming later on Saturday Headlines with Elliotte Friedman, or later in the week through other league reporting.
The key issue, though, is that Hellebuyck hasn’t been playing, and that matters.
Pagnotta noted that the paychecks have stopped because of the suspension, and while a player can skate on his own away from the club, that doesn’t replace being around an NHL team. He used Jeremy Swayman’s missed-camp situation as an example of how missing that kind of preparation can linger, especially for goaltenders.
That’s why the possibility of Hellebuyck trying to come back to Winnipeg is gaining traction. At the same time, Pagnotta said the reaction inside the room may not be warm.
“don’t be surprised if we hear pushback from the club itself and the guys in that room. An early indication from the people I’ve talked to is that, they’re not overly thrilled with the possibility of him coming back into that room after leaving.”
He also drew a line between this and Dylan Larkin’s situation. Larkin asked for a trade, stayed, and has taken the fallout in public.
Hellebuyck, Pagnotta said, believed a trade would happen. When it didn’t, he held out instead.
That leaves the Winnipeg situation feeling far more uncomfortable if he tries to re-enter it.
“A different situation than Dylan Larkin, right? Larkin asked for a trade.
He wasn’t moved. He’s eating all the garbage that’s being thrown at him, and I totally understand why.
I’m not saying the fans shouldn’t do it- boo the guy because he was your captain and he’s left, and I get it.
But he’s facing the music. Full credit to Larkin for that.
Hellebuyck thought that a trade was going to happen. It obviously didn’t, and he held out.
So it’s a different situation now to come back into that environment. Awkward conversations are going to happen.
Uncomfortable conversations that will need ot happen.”
The report also says this is being discussed around the league, with the possibility of Hellebuyck returning to Winnipeg making the rounds. But there’s a catch: not everyone in the Winnipeg dressing room would be eager to welcome him back.
The source notes that Kevin Cheveldayoff has always left the door open. He views Hellebuyck as family.
But the players’ stance is different, and that matters here. Kyle Connor has already made it clear that if Hellebuyck does return, he has to be in the right mindset and show up ready to help the team win, not just show up for a paycheck.
The situation also carries another wrinkle. The source says the Jets could follow the Alexei Yashin route, with the team in control because the player wants to play.
Yashin returned after a year and the Ottawa Senators rolled his contract over. If Winnipeg did that with Hellebuyck, his no-move clause would roll over too, and he has a 10-team no-trade clause next July 1st.
For now, the biggest question is whether the sides can bridge the gap at all. As the source puts it, it is better to play than sit out.
Hellebuyck chose to sit out. And even if he comes back, there’s still the question of how effective he would be after all of this.
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