Time is running out for the Winnipeg Jets to trade Connor Hellebuyck before training camp opens next week
NHL Media: Mike Rupp and Ken Daneyko talking about the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck. He doesn’t have a limited list of teams, but it’s still not an easy deal to make. It would be awkward if a deal doesn’t get done before the start of training camp. The Jets want a roster player, but that would leave a hole real late in the offseason for the team making the deal.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Rupp: “We’ve heard reports, and this is all speculation, but the, the reports were that he’s given a fair amount of teams. Now, if that’s true, I believe it’s because there’s a 10-team approval list that kicks in next year.
So, if the Winnipeg Jets and they’re like, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna, we’re not getting the deal we want right now, you’re gonna have to play in Winnipeg this year,’ until they have a little bit more flexibility in in getting the best deal they can get next year. I think that that would be why he would give some more teams right now to try to expedite this.
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Because I do respect the fact that he came out, was very public in his post and said what he said. There’s no gray area, but man, would that be awfully hard to go to Winnipeg and have to play this season in front of that rabid crowd?”
Daneyko: “And thus, why I think it’s going to get done. Bad situation for both parties.”
Rupp: “I think you’re going to try everything you can, but I think that, I probably would say 75% chance I think it gets done. But if the deal’s not there, I don’t know what teams he’s offering. I mean, you cannot make a subpar deal if you’re the Winnipeg Jets.”
Jamison Coyle: “Mike Johnson, we were talking about this last week before that post became public. And he was saying it puts teams, let’s say Buffalo, right, who’s interested in Connor Hellebuyck, puts them in a bad situation just the timing of this because you’re going to have to give up a lot to get a Connor Hellebuyck. How does Buffalo then fill those voids on their roster? They’ll obviously have the goalie, but there’s so many other spots to fill in such a short amount of time. He just doesn’t think that, that…”
Rupp: “Yeah. Well, I think some of them, it’s again what we’re hearing out there is that Winnipeg wants a rostered player of significance.”
Coyle: “Right.”
Rupp: “So to your point, generally going into the month of training camp starting, and the regular season starting in a number of weeks, that would create a hole. Because you got a goaltender, and then you’re going to lose a forward defensive or whatever that is…”
Coyle: “A big part of your lineup.”
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Rupp: “I think that that’s where there’s, the teams that have a lot of assets of youth in another place. Maybe you could sweeten it more. Yes, that’s maybe what Winnipeg wants, and they want to have a rostered player like that.
Maybe you got to sweeten the prospect offers a little bit more. Give up more of a futures in order to kind of compensate for that. I mean, that’s just me spitballing there. But you’re going to have teams calling. I’m sure they have already, and hopefully something can get done here, and we see him go to a spot.”
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