Can Jets, Connor Hellebuyck repair relationship?

Most teams wouldn’t be too keen on trading away their Hart Trophy-winning goaltender, but that’s the position in which the Winnipeg Jets may find themselves. On August 27, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck released a statement via social media confirming that he had privately requested a trade several months prior.

In a perfect world, Winnipeg would keep their three-time Vezina Trophy winner, and that’s a world they may still pursue. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff can call Hellebuyck’s bluff, keeping him into the season and daring him to sit out games. It remains to be seen if either side has the appetite for this situation to get uglier, or if we see some sort of resolution sooner rather than later.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed whether or not the Jets and Hellebuyck can come to a manageable working relationship for the upcoming season.

Tyler Yaremchuk: If you’re the Jets, is there any way you can bring him back? Can you sit there and just say “tough luck Connor, you’re signed and you’re playing here”?

Carter Hutton: I think the relationship is obviously frayed. I get why he went public, too. I see it from both sides. I can see from the team standpoint being like, there was a private trade request, so if you go and trade your star player, Vezina Trophy winner, Olympic gold medalist, it kind of leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth from the brass’ standpoint, for the GM and the ownership. Now that it’s public that he wants out, I think as management you almost kind of save face when you move off of him. You can pass the buck to Connor and say “He’s the guy that wanted to be traded. He didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. This isn’t on us. This is on him.”

But in the same sense with Winnipeg, where are they going as a team? If he goes, who else goes? This is a deal where maybe you see Kyle Connor go, maybe Mark Scheifele. Obviously it’s a trickier one with Scheifele than with Connor, who could be more expendable with his deal and his age and being American as well. But the Winnipeg Jets are in this no man’s land. You have the best goalie, arguably, in the world and you can’t win as is. It’s hard to get players there. If you can bring in a strong young core in a good trade off of Hellebuyck as he’s 33, maybe this is the way this team can rebuild and actually get over the hump, Ty.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Wednesday’s episode here…