The trade market regarding veteran Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck reportedly has been narrowed significantly following a very busy start to free agency, with Carolina and Buffalo being mentioned as the two remainining teams in the running. With respect to the Hellebuyck situation, the most significant event was Toronto’s signing of Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million deal several days ago. The 33-year-old goaltender is entering the third year of a 7-year contract with an $8.5 million cap hit.
The rumor mill began churning when Hellebuyck referred to this past season as “unacceptable” when the Jets missed the playoffs, and outwardly questioned the team’s direction. Despite much speculation, Jets’ GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has not confirmed Hellebuyck is on the market.
