TSN | Winnipeg Jets draw considerable interest in Hellebuyck, but return not enough to move him

It feels as though a moment cannot pass in the NHL landscape without Winnipeg Jets top netminder Connor Hellebuyck being mentioned as a trade target for a number of contending teams around the league.

Today on TSN’s Insider Trading, in a conversation between Gino Reda and hockey insider Darren Dreger, the topic of Hellebuyck came up with Reda asking Dreger if he is getting any sense of what could happen with the three-time Vezina Award winner.

Dreger indicated:

“Not quite yet. And you’re right, the statistics and the trophy case is full as far as Connor Hellebuyck is concerned.

But I think the problem that the Winnipeg Jets and maybe the Hellebuyck camp are facing right now is that when you look around the league, of course, there’s considerable interest in what Connor Hellebuyck might bring. Again, you’re talking about a guy who’s not that far removed from helping Team USA win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

But look at it from Winnipeg’s perspective here, Gino. You can’t simply trade away a valued asset like Connor Hellebuyck, who’s under contract until 2031, and not get back what you need. We know the Winnipeg Jets are in the market for a No. 2 centre. They’d like to add a depth centre as well, maybe bolster their blue line. If they trade Connor Hellebuyck, what are they doing in goal? So it’d be great to get a goaltender back as part of a package, as well.

The interest is there, but it’s not good enough for Kevin Cheveldayoff to pull the trigger. It has to improve and if it doesn’t improve, why would Winnipeg trade Connor Hellebuyck? There’s still plenty of time for this to get sorted through at this stage of the offseason, but the possibility of Winnipeg holding on to the 33-year-old goaltender has to be considered as well.”

This would seem to suggest a couple of things. First, it appears to be a message to other GMs from Kevin Cheveldayoff is that current offers are not sufficient. Second, it signals that Winnipeg would be comfortable keeping Hellebuyck in the fold rather than making a move for the sake of expedience. That has very much been the modus operandi of Cheveldayoff throughout his tenure as general manager in Winnipeg.

You can watch the segment here: