Connor Hellebuyck to the Oilers? The trade would come with an ironic Jeff Skinner twist

The Edmonton Oilers want Connor Hellebuyck. This morning, the biggest obstacle sits in their own crease, and his name is Tristan Jarry.

Seravalli laid out the catch Thursday. Any deal means convincing the Oilers goalie to waive his trade protection and report to Winnipeg.

There's a twist, too. He'd be sharing the Jets' crease with the guy he was traded for 10 months ago.

Picture asking a man to move into the spare bedroom of the roommate who replaced him. Awkward doesn't begin to cover it.

Why would Edmonton even go there? Tuesday night, the Oilers dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the Canucks on home ice to open the season.

Jarry finished that one with a .739 save percentage. On a team built to win right now, that number won't fly for long.

The Oilers get a quick rematch tonight in Vancouver, and the goaltending questions are riding along on the charter.

Stan Bowman's cap sheet turns a Winnipeg swap into a puzzle

The money is the next wall. Hellebuyck carries an $8.5 million cap hit, which ranks third among NHL goaltenders.

Jarry sits at $5,375,000. That leaves a $3,125,000 gap Stan Bowman has to bridge on a roster already loaded with big tickets.

Leon Draisaitl alone counts $14 million against the cap, and Connor McDavid's deal tacks on another $12.5 million.

Evan Bouchard's $10.5 million contract lives on that same ledger.

The blue liner earned every cent Tuesday, piling up three goals and five points in the loss.

So the offense showed up. Keeping pucks out of the net was the problem, and that's the entire sales pitch for Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg's side looks different. The Jets haven't played a regular season game yet and host the Bruins on Friday night.

Would Kevin Cheveldayoff really move the face of his franchise before his team's first puck drop? Everything reported so far centers on what Edmonton needs.

Here's where it falls apart for me. Building a blockbuster around a goalie agreeing to waive, then share a crease with the man he was swapped for, is a bad way to run a contender.

If Jarry goes, Devon Levi slides in behind Hellebuyck. The 24-year-old's $812,500 cap hit softens the math a little.

Mike Babcock, hired in June, hasn't coached a full week of regular season hockey behind this bench yet. A goalie overhaul would land on his desk fast.

These two teams don't meet until January 17 in Edmonton.

By then, Hellebuyck could be wearing either sweater. The pen is in Jarry's hand, and nobody in Edmonton can sign for him.

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