Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request has pushed the Winnipeg Jets into a tricky spot, but the real question isn’t whether the situation is public now. It’s whether the Jets can still find a deal that makes sense before training camp opens.
Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Tonight that a request like this usually signals a desire to get things settled quickly.
“Well, anytime that something like that comes out, Jamison, it says to me that you would like this to be sorted out before the season, before camp, whenever it can be done, and I’ve heard that you gave me some homework. You told me you wanted me to do some work on this, and Jamison, when you give me homework, I always listen.
And I’ve heard that one of the big challenges here is that some of the things that were available at the beginning of the summer or at the draft are no longer available. Like, I think one of the teams that was really in this hot was Florida.
And I think one of the challenges is that part of Florida’s package, not all of Florida’s package, but part of it-was what they traded to Ottawa to get Brady Tkachuk. So does Florida have anything that still makes sense?
I think the challenge with Buffalo is that one of the things they were working on was the fourth overall pick. I think that was key to the deal, and obviously the Jets wanted the fourth, and they wanted to keep the eighth.
Buffalo’s willing to do that. So now, can you still make a deal?
And don’t forget also, no trade list change usually for most players on July 1st.
So are there players who were available to Winnipeg before the start of the summer that now are no longer available to the Jets? So I think all of that has been a challenge.
Now, I don’t think even though Hellebuyck went public, I don’t think that really changed the whole situation. I think teams knew he wanted out, and they knew that Winnipeg was holding strong for a good offer.
I think the biggest question now is, what pressure points do the Jets feel, if any, and is there still a deal out there that they feel is good? I think one of the keys there is they have Stuart Skinner; they signed him in free agency, but they’re going to need another goalie. And is there another goalie who’s part of all this that they are willing to say, hey, that gives us an acceptable tandem for what we’re about to lose?
I think it’s complicated. I think that, and I think the biggest question is, what pressure do the Jets feel, if any, now that it’s public?”
Friedman also made it clear that the public nature of the request may not change Winnipeg’s approach all that much. The Jets, after all, have a history of waiting out situations until the return is right.
The list of possible trade partners is more complicated than it was earlier in the summer. Friedman pointed to Florida as a team that had been involved, but part of what made that conversation work was tied to assets Florida no longer has.
Buffalo was also in the mix, with the fourth overall pick playing a major role in those discussions, but that path has also become more difficult. On top of that, no-trade protections that changed on July 1 have altered the landscape.
Still, the Jets are not short on teams that could use a goalie of Hellebuyck’s caliber. The Buffalo Sabres remain a possibility, as do the New Jersey Devils, though the Quinn Hughes situation could affect what New Jersey decides to do. Carolina, San Jose, Utah, Vegas, and other clubs are also mentioned as potential fits.
For Winnipeg, the decision will come down to one thing: whether the return for Connor Hellebuyck is good enough to move forward.
In Other News...
Michael Hutchinsons Next Hockey Move Will Hit Home For Jets Fans
Michael Hutchinsons playing days are over, but his ties to Winnipeg hockey are only getting deeper. The former Jets goaltender, who logged 154 NHL games across several teams, has officially retired from professional hockey and settled into a life here that feels pretty fitting for a player who made this city his permanent home.
Hutchinson is staying close to the crease in a new way, working with young netminders in Winnipeg and adding another local connection to a career that already resonated with Jets fans. His next chapter is more about teaching than stopping pucks, and it gives the city a chance to keep one of its familiar hockey figures in the middle of the game he knows best. [Read more 🡒]