Connor Hellebuyck is still suspended, and the Jets still haven't found a trade worth making for their superstar goalie.
Heading into this afternoon's home game against Carolina, Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn't moved an inch. No team has put a package on the table that fits what Winnipeg needs.
Hellebuyck didn't report to training camp and was suspended indefinitely. That was the power play he chose to run on his GM.
It backfired. The Jets are 4-1-2 without him and sit fourth in their division.
That record is the leverage. A team winning without its goalie doesn't have to sell him for parts.
Stuart Skinner has handled most of the work with a .906 save percentage. Clay Stevenson sits at .872 behind him.
Here's the blunt part. Hellebuyck had every right to ask out, but skipping camp turned a trade request into a standoff he can't win.
The Los Angeles Kings need a goalie but lack the assets
The Kings keep surfacing as the team to watch. On paper, the fit is obvious.
Los Angeles is 0-3-2 and still searching for its first win.
Darcy Kuemper sits at .847, and Anton Forsberg isn't far off at .853.
The problem is what Ken Holland can actually offer. Winnipeg isn't interested in picks and prospects, because this roster is built to win now.
Trying to land a Hart and Vezina winner with futures is like paying for a Rolex with store credit.
Any deal has to make the Jets better this season, or Cheveldayoff is handing over a top-five goalie for pennies on the dollar.
The cap math matters too. Hellebuyck carries an $8,500,000 cap hit, so a buyer likely needs to move real salary back to Winnipeg.
Reports have even suggested he might end his holdout and return to the Jets.
Would that room even welcome him back? By most accounts, Winnipeg has already moved on.
Cheveldayoff can wait. The question is how long Hellebuyck is willing to watch the season pass from the sidelines.
Should Kevin Cheveldayoff welcome Connor Hellebuyck back to the Jets instead of trading him?
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