The Winnipeg Jets revealed on Wednesday that Connor Hellebuyck has been suspended for failing to report to training camp. The 33-year-old veteran publicly requested a trade recently and appears fully committed to backing up that stance by sitting out from all team activities.
Every NHL franchise would welcome Hellebuyck onto its roster, as he is widely considered among the elite goaltenders in the world. Despite his extraordinary pedigree, reports indicate that the Jets are receiving offers far below what they had anticipated.
That shortfall is partly due to teams recognizing how urgent Winnipeg’s situation is now that Hellebuyck has made his desires public. Compounding the issue, NHL organizations are historically reluctant to part with significant assets for goaltenders. This is a bitter pill for Jets fans, as they are almost certainly unlikely to receive fair value in any eventual deal. With the regular season fast approaching, numerous clubs are simply too close to the salary cap ceiling to absorb Hellebuyck and his $8.5 million cap allocation.
The Edmonton Oilers have surfaced as one potential destination for Hellebuyck. It is an easy association to draw given that Connor McDavid and his teammates have spent years as Stanley Cup contenders yet have never possessed a reliable starting goaltender. While Hellebuyck would undoubtedly remedy that deficiency, pursuing him would represent an error in judgment by Oilers management.
Oilers Would Create Another Roster Deficiency
As noted, the primary obstacle standing between the Oilers and a Hellebuyck trade is the salary cap math. Following the signing of Alex Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract last week, general manager Stan Bowman has a bit over $1 million in available space.
To accommodate Hellebuyck’s salary, the Oilers would need to move substantial contracts off their books. Names like Tristan Jarry and Trent Frederic have been mentioned, though neither player’s deal would likely interest the Jets.
Some have also suggested Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as a potential trade chip, but the likelihood of him being included in such a deal is virtually nonexistent. The 33-year-old has played his entire 1,031-game career in Edmonton and holds a full no-movement clause. It is nearly impossible to picture a scenario in which he would agree to waive that protection to leave a Stanley Cup contender for a borderline playoff team.
Every other Oilers player carrying a meaningful salary belongs to McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Jake Walman. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Walman each hold full no-movement clauses, while Hyman maintains a 10-team trade restriction. Bouchard is the only player without any trade protections, but dealing him for Hellebuyck would be ill-advised — it would merely trade one problem for another.
Goaltending Has Already Been Addressed
There is also the fact that management likely has no desire to overhaul its goaltending situation at this stage. Bowman was actively addressing that position during the offseason. He initially acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres, then signed Frederik Andersen to a one-year deal. The organization also retains Jarry, whom Bowman obtained from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.
While none of the three netminders can match Hellebuyck’s caliber, they are all significantly more affordable — a critical factor for a team contending at the cap ceiling. The Oilers made genuine efforts to strengthen their goaltending depth and would be best served to step back and evaluate how things develop.
As appealing as it would be to finally land a true franchise goaltender like Hellebuyck, it remains well out of reach for the Oilers at this juncture. They lack both the cap room to make it feasible and the tradeable assets necessary to pry him away from Winnipeg.