Jets Struggling to Find Solid Trade Return For Hellebuyck

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Winnipeg Jets may not be able to repeat the success they had when they traded Pierre-Luc Dubois by trading goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. A goaltender that every team knows is a Vezina-caliber starter, trade talks haven’t gotten very far with teams, mainly because of his contract situation.

LeBrun reports the New Jersey Devils might be among the closest to acquiring the netminder, but there’s concern with Hellebuyck’s future contract demands and what it would cost the Devils to land him in a deal, only to be stuck on price as the two sides negotiate a new contract to keep him around. LeBrun writes:

The Devils remain interested in Connor Hellebuyck. They know what he would mean to them as far as an upgrade. But I don’t believe they’re interested in paying a big price for him because they’re also comfortable just running it back in goal (minus MacKenzie Blackwood, who was traded to San Jose on Tuesday). I’m not convinced Winnipeg has a lot of traction yet on the Hellebuyck trade front, even though we’re talking about a Vezina Trophy finalist again this year.

LeBrun says a lot of this is on the new trend in the NHL not to overspend on goaltenders, mainly because most teams use two goalies on a regular basis. He added, “It probably speaks to how front offices see the goaltending position in today’s NHL (“don’t spend on goalies”) or just in general how goalie trades are always unpredictable.”

The Jets might end up rolling things back with Hellebuyck and then revisiting a trade at the NHL Trade Deadline. It’s not ideal, but at that point, he becomes perhaps the most sought-after rental on the market. “But New Jersey remains the team to watch on him,” LeBrun says, so we’ll see where this goes.

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