The Connor Hellebuyck situation is still very much alive, and Carolina keeps showing up at the center of it.
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Hurricanes remain in the mix for the Winnipeg goaltender, and their offer is said to be built around a first-round pick and young defenseman Alexander Nikishin. That package could still be sitting on the table, which gives this whole saga another layer as the new season approaches.
Nikishin is an especially interesting piece here because his own status is unsettled. The 24-year-old Russian defenseman is still unsigned as a restricted free agent, and he also missed the first day of Hurricanes training camp after asking for a trade this offseason. That request came after his role shrank as the Stanley Cup playoffs went on.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, meanwhile, is not rushing anything. He told reporters Thursday, "I just want to get this right."
He also left the door open for Hellebuyck to stay in Winnipeg.
"Look, no doors are closed," Cheveldayoff said. "In my estimation, he's a player that's under contract for five years, but at the end of the day, that'll be his choice."
Cheveldayoff made it clear the Jets still view Hellebuyck as part of the organization no matter how this plays out.
"Connor Hellebuyck is a part of our family until he's not a part of our family," Cheveldayoff explained.
From Winnipeg’s side, Nikishin makes sense on paper. He’s a six-foot-three, left-shot defenseman, and he just finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting. But a top-four defenseman may not line up perfectly with what the Jets actually need.
The bigger hole is up front. Winnipeg has been one of the league’s strongest defensive teams for years, but it’s been missing a top-six forward, a need that has lingered since the team lost Nikolaj Ehlers to Carolina in free agency last offseason.
Still, if Hellebuyck keeps pushing for a move, the Nikishin-centered package is one Jets management is said to be taking seriously. And there is another possible add-on that could make the return even more attractive: goaltender Brandon Bussi.
Bussi, 28, recently signed a three-year extension with a $1.9 million cap hit, and he has no trade protection. If he were included with Nikishin, the deal would become a lot more appealing for a Winnipeg team trying to sort out both its crease and its blue line.
For now, Cheveldayoff is playing the long game, and all paths still appear to be open - including one that sends Hellebuyck to the defending Stanley Cup champions.
In Other News...
Hellebuyck Standoff Just Put Even More Pressure On The Jets
Connor Hellebuycks situation has already become one of the biggest storylines hanging over Winnipegs offseason, and now the market around him is shifting again. Florida had reportedly explored a trade package for the Jets goaltender, but the Panthers have since moved their attention to Brady Tkachuk, taking those original pieces off the table while still leaving the possibility of future interest open.
For Winnipeg, the bigger issue is that the standoff has only added pressure to an already delicate situation. Hellebuycks trade request has put the Jets in a difficult spot, and his absence from training camp has pushed the matter from routine trade chatter into something far more serious for the organization to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Nearly Made A Huge Blue-Line Splash Fans Never Saw Coming
Talk around the league this week has again drifted to the kind of trade chatter that can reshape a roster in a hurry, and the Jets remain part of that conversation because Connor Hellebuyck keeps coming up as the sort of goaltender teams would love to chase if the price were right. Florida reportedly made a significant push to try to land him from Winnipeg, with players and draft capital in the mix, a reminder that the market for elite talent can get serious fast even when nothing ultimately happens.
The Bruins, meanwhile, were doing their own blue-line digging, exploring what it would take to pry Filip Hronek from Vancouver and floating an offer built around a prospect and first-round picks. The Canucks, though, are not interested in moving him, which leaves Boston looking elsewhere for help and keeps the bigger question hanging over all of these calls: which teams are willing to pay the premium when the right name becomes available, and which ones are just checking the temperature. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Camp Already Has One Big Tension Around Opening Night
Training camp moved into its second day at the Hockey for All Centre, with Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti and coach Scott Arniel all available to the media as the Jets continued the slow build toward the regular season. It is the time of year when every detail gets a little sharper, from line combinations to schedules, and Winnipeg already has a practical wrinkle to sort through before the opening night buzz really starts.
The club has had to adjust the start times for 12 home games after Manitoba decided to stay on daylight time year-round, a small change on paper that will still affect how the first few weeks of home hockey feel for players and fans. Before that becomes part of the nightly routine, a Prospect Challenge game in Edmonton offers a look at mostly young Jets players, with the game set to be streamed on the teams website. [Read more 🡒]