Connor Hellebuyck, the Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon and the Jets just got linked in a fresh trade conversation that makes a lot of hockey sense.
Steve Valiquette put it plainly on Sportsnet: "I think that Hellebuyck would be an extraordinary fit there."
The crease explains why. Mackenzie Blackwood sits at a .879 save percentage, and Scott Wedgewood is at .897 for a team built to contend right now.
Colorado is 4-2-0 after a 3-2 win in Dallas on Tuesday. MacKinnon had 10 points through his first five games, so the offence isn't the question.
Geography helps too. Pierre LeBrun has said Hellebuyck won't play in Canada, which makes an American contender like Colorado a natural landing spot.
The money is the hard part. Hellebuyck carries an $8,500,000 cap hit, and Colorado already has MacKinnon at $12,604,000 and Martin Necas at $11,500,000.
Chris MacFarland would need cap creativity to land Connor Hellebuyck
Blackwood's $5,250,000 cap hit would almost certainly need to go back to Winnipeg. That might even help the Jets, who have wanted a goalie in any deal.
The Jets' stance may be softening, though. Winnipeg is 4-1-1 after a 5-2 win over Minnesota, with Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson holding the fort.
There's another twist. David Pagnotta has reported the goalie is debating when the right time would be to return to the Jets.
Colorado should make the call and offer Blackwood back. A team with MacKinnon in his prime can't afford to waste a season on shaky goaltending, and Hellebuyck is the cleanest upgrade on the market.
Pairing MacKinnon with an elite goalie is like giving a race car the brakes it has always needed. Suddenly every lap gets faster.
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The Avalanche host Dallas tonight, a rematch after Tuesday's win.
Valiquette sees an extraordinary fit. Whether Chris MacFarland and Kevin Cheveldayoff can make the numbers work is the question that decides it.
Should the Avalanche trade for Connor Hellebuyck?
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