The New York Rangers are hunting for goaltending help after Igor Shesterkin’s injury knocked him out for the rest of the season, but the search comes with a built-in warning label: don’t force it.
That’s the message from Elliotte Friedman, who said on Saturday Headlines that a Connor Hellebuyck pursuit does not really line up with the situation. Both Hellebuyck and Shesterkin are tied to major long-term contracts, and Friedman doesn’t see that as the kind of move New York should be chasing right now. What he does expect is patience.
The need is obvious. Joonas Korpisalo is also out for about a month, and Spencer Martin is day-to-day, leaving the Rangers thin in the crease. Still, even with the pressure building, a panic deal is not the expectation.
If New York does go shopping, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes pointed to a few names. He suggested Filip Gustavsson and Mackenzie Blackwood as trade targets, noting both are splitting starts and playing well. The catch is just as obvious: neither the Colorado Avalanche nor the Minnesota Wild is likely eager to part with its goalie.
Weekes also floated Petr Mrazek, James Reimer and Jonathan Quick as free-agent or retired options. Mrazek and Reimer are unrestricted free agents who have not announced retirement, and Reimer’s name carries a familiar ring after he stepped in with the Ottawa Senators last season amid goalie trouble.
Quick was mentioned as a more unusual possibility, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan wrote, “Jonathan Quick, 40, is comfortable in retirement and now serves as NYR’s Director of Goaltending Development. But if the Rangers asked him to play, sources believe he could be a possibility.”
Elsewhere, Connor Hellebuyck’s name is back in the conversation in Winnipeg, and this time it’s not because of a trade request. On an episode of ‘Hello Hockey’, David Pagnotta said Hellebuyck may be thinking about rejoining the Jets while still wanting a move, adding, “You’re starting to hear some conversations of maybe Hellebuyck starting to think about rejoining the [Jets] while wanting a trade, and simultaneously hearing that the guys in room aren’t really gonna welcome him with open arms”
That would not be a simple reunion. The Jets have opened the 2026-27 season playing strong hockey, with Kyle Connor producing some of his best work and the goaltending from Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson holding up well. They sit third in the Central Division, and Pagnotta’s note about the room not exactly rolling out the red carpet makes the whole idea even messier.
After the offseason chaos surrounding Hellebuyck’s trade request and refusal to report, any return would land awkwardly. He has the right to come back, but the question is whether the group would be comfortable with it.
Then there’s Connor Zary, whose situation has drawn interest around the league after the Calgary Flames waived him on Oct. 6. He wasted no time making noise in the AHL, scoring in his first appearance there, and teams continue to circle.
The obstacle is the cap hit. Zary carries a $3.775 million number, and that has kept some clubs from jumping in. The interest is real, but the price tag has been too rich for plenty of suitors.
Calgary is also not in a position to use its final retention slot, with Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri already occupying two of those spots. That makes moving the money even trickier.
One team with the room to make it work is Vancouver. Friedman said the Canucks are among the clubs looking at Zary, though nothing appears close. He’s still only 25 and has shown plenty of promise, but injuries have slowed him down and he has fallen out of favour with the coaching staff.
In Other News...
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The Oilers unbeaten start has changed the conversation around their forward mix, with Mike Babcock already signaling that Zach Hyman should be back soon and rookie Owen Michaels potentially earning more ice time. It is the kind of early-season performance that forces a coach to keep rechecking the board, especially when a team keeps stacking points and the lineup begins to tilt toward tougher decisions rather than easier ones.
For Winnipeg, the bigger ripple is in the background noise around the roster, because Connor Hellebuycks name has again surfaced in trade chatter. Elliotte Friedman has pushed back on the Rangers speculation, and the practical hurdles are part of why it does not line up cleanly for either side, which leaves the Jets with the more familiar reality of having to sort through what they would even want back in any serious goalie discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Get A Brief Reset Before A Weekend That Suddenly Matters
After a punishing run of five games in eight days, the Jets finally got back on the ice Monday with a little breathing room before the schedule tightens again. Winnipeg is using the brief reset to prepare for Minnesota, and the mood around the organization is a little broader than just the NHL club, with the Manitoba Moose also back at work after a two-game road swing that ended with a loss and a win before a weekend set against Dallas.
There was some scattered positive news beyond the main roster, too, as Jets prospects Owen Martin, Zach Wooten and Alexandre Taillefer each chipped in offense in recent CHL and NCAA action. For a team trying to manage the wear and tear of a heavy stretch while keeping an eye on the pipeline, those small developments matter, even if the bigger question still sits in front of Winnipeg as it heads into a game that suddenly carries more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Practice Just Raised A Big Question Before Minnesota
After a two-day break, the Jets were back on the ice in Winnipeg on Monday with a few lineup clues beginning to emerge before their meeting with Minnesota. Josh Morrissey, listed as day-to-day after the injury he sustained against Colorado, was seen working with skills coach Matt Larke, a small but notable sign as the team tries to sort out its blue-line picture. Elias Salomonsson also took a step forward by ditching his non-contact jersey, even if he still stayed out of full-contact work.
Up front, the lineup tinkering continued as Winnipeg mixed things up at practice. Nino Niederreiter rejoined the group while Brad Lambert slid into the 13th forward role, giving the Jets a little more flexibility but also leaving one of the clubs biggest questions hanging heading into the Minnesota game: just how close they are to getting the full regular look back together. [Read more 🡒]