Connor Hellebuyck’s market talk brings a simple question with a few different answers: who needs the Winnipeg Jets goalie most, and who would actually be the best landing spot for him?
On TSN, Martin Biron broke it down by separating need from fit. For pure necessity, he pointed straight to New Jersey.
“The biggest need right now would be the New Jersey Devils, right? They have (Jake) Allen.
They have Nico Dawes. They don’t really have a number one goaltender.
They traded (Jacob) Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. They have a vacancy, a spot available for a number one goalie.
Not just somebody like Connor Hellebuyck, but an actual number one goaltender. I think the biggest need is New Jersey.
Biron then shifted to the teams that could make the biggest jump if Hellebuyck somehow became available. He named two clubs that, in his view, would instantly change their ceiling with elite goaltending.
The first was San Jose.
You imagine you put Connor Hellebuyck with the San Jose Sharks and Macklin Celebrini and (Ivar) Stanberg and Will Smith and everybody in San Jose. And you say, we got that goalie back there for the next five years.
All of a sudden, the San Jose Sharks win the Pacific this year. I really believe in the talent that they’ve got and the players that they’ve got.
The other team Biron circled was Buffalo, another club he believes could vault into a very different conversation with Hellebuyck in net.
And obviously the Buffalo Sabres, which have been mentioned many, many times over the last couple of months. The Buffalo Sabres are in a tough division, the Atlantic.
But if you have Connor Hellebuyck, all of a sudden you’re moving up to maybe number one in the Atlantic, at least the top two teams in the Atlantic. Maybe number one in the Eastern Conference.
So when Biron laid it out, the answer split into two parts: New Jersey as the clearest opening for a true No. 1, and San Jose and Buffalo as the teams that could make the biggest splash and win now.
In Other News...
Sabres' Goalie Search Just Got More Interesting Than Fans Realized
The offseason goalie market had a little more intrigue than it looked from the outside, with Elliotte Friedman reporting on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers both explored the possibility of landing Connor Hellebuyck from the Jets. Winnipeg was at least willing to listen, which fits the reality of how valuable a top-end goaltender like Hellebuyck is, but there was always a practical hurdle attached to any conversation about moving him.
The Jets were not looking at this as a simple futures deal, and that helped explain why nothing came together before training camp. Buffalo and Florida had offers on the table that centered on draft picks and players, but the discussions never crossed the line into an agreement, leaving Winnipeg with its No. 1 in place and the rest of the league still thinking about how hard it is to pry a goalie of that caliber out of Manitoba. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face A Worrying Core Contract Problem
Contract chatter around core players has become a familiar headache across the league, and the latest round of it has touched several teams at once. Detroits internal debate over Dylan Larkin showed how hard it is for management to weigh present value against long-term stability, while Minnesotas Quinn Hughes has already been trying to keep extension talk from becoming a distraction. For Winnipeg, the discussion has centered on Connor Hellebuyck, whose trade request put the Jets in a delicate spot and raised questions about how front offices handle star players once the relationship starts to fray.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff moved quickly to shut down the idea that any soft understanding was in place with Hellebuyck, but the broader picture remains messy because the club has been exploring trade options since the request was made. That kind of unresolved business is exactly what makes the Blue Jackets situation worth watching, too, with Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko both sitting in a contract gray area of their own. When a teams best players are not firmly locked in, every conversation about the future starts to feel a little more urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Made Minnesotas Biggest Offseason Question Even Tougher
Quinn Hughes has only deepened the attention around Minnesotas offseason by saying he is in no rush to lock in a contract extension, even while acknowledging the pull of eventually playing alongside his brothers. For the Wild, that keeps the spotlight squarely on one of their biggest decisions, especially with reports already pointing to an eight-year offer that would set a new standard for the franchise.
The timing only adds to the intrigue across the league, with other major names making headlines as teams weigh their next moves. For Winnipeg, the bigger lesson is familiar: when high-end talent is involved, front offices tend to stay patient and measured, even as the market keeps shifting around them. [Read more 🡒]