Connor Hellebuyck and the Florida Panthers make for an unlikely pairing on paper, especially given how little cap room Florida actually has left.
Hellebuyck has now officially requested a trade out of Winnipeg, and general manager Bill Zito has to be at least considering whether his club can get involved.
Florida is sitting on less than $35,000 in cap space, and 11 skaters on the roster already carry full no-movement protection.
Still, recent history says something here. Brady Tkachuk landed in Florida despite trade protection of his own, and Dylan Larkin listed the Panthers among his approved destinations too.
Hellebuyck holds a full no-move clause, meaning nothing happens without his approval no matter how the numbers work out.
Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen stand out as the real trade chips here, since neither carries protection against a move this season.
Lundell posted 44 points in 64 games on a $5,000,000 cap hit, and Luostarinen added 33 points in 73 games at $3,000,000.
Why Winnipeg's return here isn't half bad either
Add goaltender Akira Schmid, who carries just an $875,000 cap hit and no trade clauses of his own, and the math starts working for Florida.
Combined, those three contracts clear roughly $8,875,000, enough room to fit Hellebuyck's $8,500,000 annual hit onto the books.
Jacob Markstrom complicates things further as an alternative piece, since his 20-team no-trade list may not even include Winnipeg as an option.
From Winnipeg's side, landing two legitimate middle-six forwards would genuinely deepen a top-nine group that's needed exactly that kind of help.
Is this the likeliest destination for Hellebuyck? Probably not. But it's the rare scenario where both rosters actually walk away better.
Zito would need real creativity to pull it off, but for a team already this stacked, adding a three-time Vezina winner is worth the puzzle.
Would you trade Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen for Connor Hellebuyck?
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