From Insider Trading after the first round of the Draft this is what Darren Dreger had to say about Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele:
“It seems like it’s pretty quiet on the Hellebuyck front and I’d say the same of Mark Scheifele. It feels like we’ve been talking a lot about the Winnipeg Jets over the last few days. Things can change with a phone call. The New Jersey Devils as we’ve speculated on over the last number of days remain interested but not at the cost. It’s not an extension that causes the concern, it’s the actual $6.2 million cap hit for the upcoming season. So does Winnipeg have any appetite to retain salary? I don’t believe they do. I don’t believe they feel like they should have to but that might be what has to happen to get some thing done as early as today.”
You can watch it here.
Worth noting the comments from Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff from earlier in the day before the Draft began when he was asked if he was comfortable going into next season with Hellebuyck and Scheifele in the final year of their deals. He reiterated that they are Winnipeg Jets and added
“We’ll look at everything that comes to us but that doesn’t mean we’re jumping at anything.” He did say that he spoke to Scheifele’s representatives over the course of the last couple of days and told them “Look we’re listening but obviously it’s got to make sense for the Jets because these are good players. These players can help us win.”
Stay tuned.
