Connor Hellebuyck trade talk found its way to Edmonton, and the pushback landed Friday. The Oilers are being told to stay out of it.
The Hockey Writers went straight at it. Edmonton would be foolish to make that trade.
The argument holds up under a flashlight. He played 57 games last season and finished with a .895 save percentage.
He also didn't post a single shutout across that workload. For a goaltender carrying his reputation, that's a strange line to sit with.
The price on Hellebuyck is $8,500,000 against the cap. That's the part no front office can talk its way around.
The Jets finished 35-35-12 and sat 26th overall. Some of that lands on the group in front of him. Plenty of it doesn't.
Paying that money for that season is a bad idea in any market. In Edmonton, where the window gets measured in months, it's worse.
Oilers warned to avoid disastrous Connor Hellebuyck trade at all costs
Leon Draisaitl carries a $14,000,000 hit, the largest in the league. That's before anyone else gets paid.
Connor McDavid sits at $12,500,000 and Evan Bouchard at $10,500,000. There is no quiet way to bolt another big salary onto that.
Tristan Jarry is already in that crease on a $5,375,000 cap hit. Not a small commitment for a backup plan.
He played 33 games last season and posted a .882 save percentage. Which is exactly why this conversation started in the first place.
Frederik Andersen is day to day and expected out until at least October 20. The depth question is live before camp even settles.
Mike Babcock took over behind the bench on June 23. His first camp arrives with the crease unsettled and a new voice running the room.
The Oilers finished 41-30-11 last season and landed 14th overall. Second in the Pacific, and nowhere close to comfortable.
They scored 282 goals and allowed 269. The offence is not the file anyone needs to fix.
Here's a wrinkle nobody brings up. Edmonton took all three meetings with Winnipeg last season, including a 4-3 night on the road.
So where's the actual upgrade? Trading real assets for a goaltender coming off that year is like swapping a leaky roof for a slightly newer leaky roof.
Stan Bowman doesn't have to do anything at all. The market keeps moving without him, and Kevin Cheveldayoff still decides when this gets interesting.
Source : Oilers Would Be Foolish to Trade for Connor Hellebuyck & Latest News and Rumours
Should Stan Bowman trade for Connor Hellebuyck this season?
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