Canadiens, Jets and Hurricanes linked in huge trade pitch involving Connor Hellebuyck and Alexander Nikishin

A three way trade pitch has Connor Hellebuyck leaving Winnipeg for Carolina, and it has been chewing up hockey timelines since Tuesday.

The post came from the X account DemiGod, running under the handle @Suzy4Selke. It has pulled 48,000 views and 35 replies.

The framework is short. Montreal lands Alexander Nikishin, Carolina takes the goalie.

Winnipeg collects Kaiden Guhle, Samuel Montembeault and Montreal's 2027 first round pick.

Start with the Jets, because they have the most to gain here. They finished 35-35-12 and ranked 26th in the league.

Scott Arniel's group closed the year on a four game losing streak with a goal differential of -29. Nobody is one save away from repairing that.

The netminder at the middle of all this posted a .895 save percentage over 57 appearances and did not record a single shutout.

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Canadiens trade pitch could send Hellebuyck to Carolina

He is 33 now, and the $8.5 million cap hit follows him wherever this goes. Fourth highest among all NHL goaltenders.

Carolina has a reason to pick up the phone. Brandon Bussi carried the bulk of the workload with a .893 mark across 39 games.

Pyotr Kochetkov backed him up in nine appearances at .898. Rod Brind'Amour still squeezed 113 points and a Metropolitan title out of that tandem.

So the Hurricanes are not desperate. They are shopping for the one thing a 53-22-7 team cannot manufacture internally.

Nikishin is the piece heading the other way, and Eric Tulsky would be selling low. The 24 year old put up 33 points in 81 games on a $925,000 deal.

A plus-18 rating backed it up. Then the calendar flipped to spring and the production disappeared, one assist in 17 postseason games with a -1 rating.

Now the Montreal side, and this is where it gets uncomfortable. Guhle is listed day to day with an undisclosed issue, expected out until at least November 3.

Winnipeg would be acquiring a $5.55 million defenseman it cannot dress on opening night. That is a real cost for a club that needs help right now.

The Canadiens blue liner gave Martin St-Louis 11 points in 39 games at plus-5. He scored exactly twice all season, and both goals won hockey games.

Add eight assists across 19 playoff dates and the picture sharpens. This is a defender who shows up when the calendar tightens.

Montembeault is the throw in, and Montreal would barely notice. Five wins in 25 appearances with a .873 save percentage does not move a contender.

Jakub Dobes already banked 20 wins at .901 behind the same blue line. Jacob Fowler, all of 21, put up a .908 mark across 17 games.

So why is Montreal the team adding a first round pick to the pile?

Paying a 2027 first to swap one 24 year old defenseman for another is like trading in a car with 40,000 kilometres for one with 39,000.

Then handing over cash to make it even. The mileage barely moves. The bill does.

There is history here that makes the whole thing land harder. Montreal beat Carolina three times in the regular season, including a 7-5 result on New Year's Day.

Then the Hurricanes took the series in five. The Canadiens were held scoreless in a 4-0 loss at home before a 6-1 exit.

Kent Hughes already knows exactly what that group looks like up close. Whether he hands the same organization a young defenseman and a first to help fix it is another matter.

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