Connor Hellebuyck trade rumors are swirling again, but the Winnipeg Jets are not giving him away for just anything.
Insider David Pagnotta laid out the Jets' actual position this week, and it is more measured than the rumor mill suggests.
Pagnotta says Winnipeg still has real holes on its roster, and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff knows it.
If Hellebuyck does get moved, whether to Buffalo or another club, it will only happen for a package the Jets are genuinely comfortable with.
Otherwise, Cheveldayoff and his staff are prepared to simply hold their ground and keep him.
The numbers explain some of the hesitation on both sides of this rumor.
Hellebuyck posted an .895 save percentage with 18 wins over 57 games this past season, a quieter year than his usual standard.
Buffalo's own goalies are outplaying him right now
Buffalo's own tandem actually outperformed that mark. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted a .908 save percentage with 20 wins over 35 games.
Alex Lyon added a .906 save percentage and 16 wins over 36 appearances of his own.
Hellebuyck still carries an $8.5 million cap hit, a real number for any team taking on a down year at that position.
That gap makes the fit look less obvious than the rumor alone suggests, even for a team with real cap room to work with.
Buffalo finished 50-23-9 for 109 points and fourth overall this year under head coach Lindy Ruff, proof the current setup already works.
Winnipeg closed its season 35-35-12 for 82 points and 26th overall, the kind of gap that usually pushes a front office toward change.
Pagnotta's full comments through Inside Sports laid out exactly where the asking price stands right now.
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Whether any team actually meets that price before the season starts is still very much up in the air.
Should the Jets trade Connor Hellebuyck if the return isn't a blockbuster?
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