Seven trade destinations to watch for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck

Matt Larkin
Matt Larkin(MLarkinHockey)
Seven trade destinations to watch for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck

It’s natural to watch the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers with envious eyes, wishing you had what they had. It seems to happen every season when GMs around the league take in the Stanley Cup Final and wonder which traits are missing from their own teams.

Both combatants have top-end forward talent, minute-munching defensemen and toughness in spades. But a term thrown around repeatedly during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs has been “getting goalied.” The two highest save percentages this spring belong to Adin Hill and Sergei Bobrovsky, respectively. The Golden Knights and Panthers are great hockey teams, but neither gets this far without the consistently elite playoff goaltending they’ve received to date.

And maybe that’s why prospective 2023-24 contenders are already sniffing around the trade market, hoping to land a rock-solid No. 1 to carry them deeper next spring. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli listed Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck at No. 2 on the latest Trade Targets Board last Friday. Entering the final season of his contract and without an extension, he has never been a more attainable target.

The logic of pursuing Hellebuyck, or any top-end goalie for that matter, has plenty of holes in it. Is there a more random position in sports than hockey goaltender? Hill was one of five puck-stoppers competing for Vegas’ job at various points this season and took over midway through the playoffs after third-stringer Laurent Brossoit had already outplayed Hellebuyck in the first round. Neither Hill nor Bobrovsky was even starting for his team when the playoffs commenced.

Still, there’s no denying the safety Hellebuyck brings to any net. He’s a Vezina Trophy winner and the biggest workhorse of his generation. He has started 23 games more than the second-busiest goalie over the past five seasons, during which he’s compiled a .916 save percentage. He’s also rarely if ever had above-average defense protecting him in Winnipeg, so who knows what he could accomplish on a stingier team?

Drawing inspiration from my colleague Frank’s trade board, on which he discusses some potential suitors, let’s dive deep into plausible Hellebuyck destinations and why they do or don’t make sense.

Carolina Hurricanes

Why he makes sense:

The Hurricanes, like every team in the Florida Panthers’ wake this season, lost to a superior goalie in the Eastern Conference Final. They have not been able to zero in on one consistent, reliable starter for several seasons now, alternating between the brittle duo of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta while giving occasional looks to promising youngster Pyotr Kochetkov. They have Kochetkov signed to a four-year extension beginning in 2023-24, but Andersen and Raanta are set to walk as UFAs. Hellebuyck in the alpha role with Kochetkov backing him up would instantly become an elite goaltending apprenticeship.

Fly in the ointment:

Keeping pucks out of the net is not Carolina’s problem. They have placed top-two in the NHL in goals and shots against the past two seasons. They have the third-lowest expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5 over that span. They get elite defensive buy-in all over their lineup and thus create relatively easy workloads for their netminders. Hellebuyck might not be the ideal stylistic fit given he’s a goalie who thrives off big in-game workloads.

What Carolina missed most in this postseason was game-breaking goal scoring, with top snipers Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty having suffered season-ending injuries. If GM Don Waddell is to expend assets in pursuit of a major roster upgrade this offseason, the biggest team need comes at forward, not in net.

Los Angeles Kings

Why he makes sense:

The Kings are knocking on the door of top-tier contention. They’ve spent the past two summers transitioning from rebuilder into a true threat in the Pacific Division, adding Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala, among others. Thanks to a bad bet on the Cal Petersen contract and Jonathan Quick being years removed from his peak, they got terrible netminding for much of 2022-23. A surprise surge from journeyman Pheonix Copley and some excellent play from trade deadline acquisition Joonas Korpisalo patched over the problem, but Korpisalo turned into a pumpkin during Round 1 of the playoffs and is a pending UFA now. The Kings could take a chance on him again, but he’s nowhere near the sure thing that Hellebuyck is. He would instantly elevate them into the division’s upper crust alongside Vegas and Edmonton.

Fly in the ointment:

On paper, the Kings are already committed to almost $75 million in cap spending for next season. If they wanted to take on Hellebuyck’s $6.17 million AAV and re-sign defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, GM Rob Blake likely must find a way to unload Petersen’s $5 million cap hit. Not an easy task given how much his game has imploded.

New Jersey Devils

Why he makes sense:

It’s not hyperbole to suggest the Devils are a piece away from being a Stanley Cup frontrunner. They had the third best record in the NHL this season and iced a top-five offense. They have a superstar up front in Jack Hughes, backed by strong forward depth. They have a pillar on defense in Dougie Hamilton. What did them in this spring was uncertainty and inconsistency in net. After Vitek Vanecek proved a dud in the first round, Akira Schmid guided the Devils past the New York Rangers with some stellar play, but he had an .874 save percentage in the Round 2 loss to Carolina. With Vanecek carrying a somewhat palatable cap hit of $3.4 million and Schmid still waivers exempt for 2023-24, there’s theoretical room for Hellebuyck.

Fly in the ointment:

The 2023 offseason will spike the pressure on GM Tom Fitzgerald to a level he hasn’t encountered yet. He has two high-profile RFAs to sort out in Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, neither of whom will come remotely cheap, and right-shot blueliner Damon Severson is set to hit the open market as arguably the top available blueline asset in a depressed UFA market. The Devils project for more than $34 million in cap space, which sounds exciting, but they have just five forwards and five defensemen signed for next season. Are we sure they have the cap space to chase a vanity goalie?

Ottawa Senators

Why he makes sense:

It’s close to put up or shut up time for GM Pierre Dorion and coach D.J. Smith. After an aggressive and exciting 2022 offseason in which Ottawa added Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux and Cam Talbot, among others, the net result was a modest improvement in the standings from 73 to 86 points. Durability between the pipes held the team back, with Talbot and Anton Forsberg both getting hurt, forcing the Sens to rely on prospects Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese before they were necessarily ready for NHL duty. With Josh Norris healthy to start next season, they’ll have an enviable top-six forward group, and the Jakob Chychrun acquisition creates a strong top four on ‘D’ along with Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub. Getting the elusive marquee goalie would level up Ottawa to Wildcard contender status at worst.

Fly in the ointment:

The status of RFA sniper Alex DeBrincat could impact whether Ottawa is a realistic suitor for Hellebuyck in more ways than one. If he signs an extension, it will presumably eat up at least half the Sens’ $17 million in current cap space. If it become clear he doesn’t want to sign? It changes everything. He could even become an asset Ottawa uses as part of a play for Hellebuyck.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Why he makes sense:

New president of hockey ops and interim GM Kyle Dubas made it clear during his introductory presser that he’s betting on the veteran group led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. He was also candid about the uncertainty around the Pens’ plans for UFA goaltender Tristan Jarry, who can look like a world beater for months on end but constantly battles injuries and inconsistency. If the Pens indeed want to run it back and win now, Hellebuyck would be exactly the type of splashy upgrade they need to prop their contention window open a little longer.

Fly in the ointment:

Armed with weak forward depth and one of the ugliest prospect crops in the NHL, the Penguins are asset-poor. What pieces would they have to offer the Jets, who reportedly are looking for more of a reload trade to stay competitive in the present? They don’t have any top-end prospects, and if they were to relinquish a Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust, it would decimate what little depth they have. It’s difficult to see Pittsburgh outbidding the other suitors on this list. They absolutely have the need for Hellebuyck but aren’t well equipped to acquire him.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Why he makes sense:

From Korpisalo to Carey Price to Andrei Vasilevskiy to Sergei Bobrovsky, the Leafs have been goalied out of the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. They haven’t had a puck-stopper capable of frustrating the other team and singlehandedly stealing playoff games since…Ed Belfour? Curtis Joseph? With new GM Brad Treliving stepping into an urgent win-now situation, all types of upgrades should theoretically be on the table. Given they have important extensions to figure out for Auston Matthews and William Nylander that would kick in for 2024-25, the Leafs might actually find Hellebuyck’s one remaining season to be appealing.

Fly in the ointment:

Ilya Samsonov was a top-10 goalie in the NHL during the regular season. While he wasn’t consistent in the playoffs, he was good enough to get Toronto into Round 2, including going perfect after regulation in the Leafs’ three overtime wins over Tampa. Given the tremendous promise Joseph Woll showed late in the regular season and in relief of the injured Samsonov in Round 2, are we sure the Leafs wouldn’t be totally fine with a Samsonov-Woll tandem and mothballing Matt Murray on LTIR? Could the Leafs’ cap space be better spent on improving their defense corps, something that historically has been a focus on Treliving teams?

Vegas Golden Knights

Why he makes sense:

From Mark Stone to Alex Pietrangelo to Jack Eichel, the Vegas Golden Knights live up to the glitz and glamor of Sin City by always chasing the next shiny thing. It would be extremely on-brand for the NHL’s most ruthless franchise to slit Hill’s throat, Red Wedding style, days after he leads them to their first championship. Would you put it past GM Kelly McCrimmon? Hill, Brossoit and Quick are all UFAs this summer, and Robin Lehner’s health is up in the air, meaning Vegas could theoretically pair Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson.

Fly in the ointment:

Thompson had a tremendous rookie season before getting hurt. Hill has done everything Vegas could’ve asked for and more, rescuing a team with three goaltenders injured. Even a massive raise for Hill should come much cheaper than Hellebuyck’s cap hit and leave Vegas more money to use elsewhere – how about re-signing Ivan Barbashev, for instance?

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