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This has been one of the more unusual early NHL offseasons. Instead of the focus being on free agency, a lot of the attention has been on star players looking to move on from their current organizations.
Ottawa has already shipped Brady Tkachuk to Florida. Meanwhile, Dylan Larkin has asked out of Detroit, and Zach Werenski’s future in Columbus seems up in the air.
Potentially the biggest name that could be on the move is Winnipeg Jets goalie and Team USA Olympic hero Connor Hellebuyck. Now, the team’s GM has confirmed that they are at least listening to offers from any potential trade partners.
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“Certainly, as an organization, we’re going to listen,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said, per NHL.com. “Everyone saw (Hellebuyck’s) press conference at the end of the year; he was passionate. Certainly, in our exit meetings, we had some frank conversations as well, but again, what happens in those meetings certainly stays private.”
Hellebuyck is under contract until 2031 and carries an $8.5 million cap hit, which means that any trade partner would have to give up quite a bit.
But, it’s not every day a team can bring in a generational number-one goaltender with three Vezina Trophies on his resume, so it would probably be worth it.
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The Jets took a huge step backward this season by completely missing the playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy the season before.
This led to some critical remarks from the soon-to-be Medal of Freedom recipient at his end-of-the-year media availability.
“Complacency is not going to get us moving forward, so something has got to happen,” he said. “…A lot of times, that’s all you can ask (of teammates) — give your all every single night. As a teammate, I can really rally behind that and really cherish those moments with those guys. But to just put that same product on the ice, I don’t think it worked for a reason.”
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There was a flurry of moves during the NHL Draft on Friday night, and it makes you wonder if some teams that could take a swing at Hellebuyck but are up against the salary cap — like Vegas or Florida — could be putting ducks in a row to make an offer.
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