Connor Hellebuyck's name keeps surfacing in trade chatter, and the Winnipeg Jets have a real decision to make this off-season.
Winnipeg finished 35-35-12 last season, sitting 26th overall, and closed the year on a four-game losing streak.
The Jets went 19-16-6 at home and just 16-19-6 on the road, a middling split for a team that once looked like a Cup contender.
Hellebuyck logged 18 wins in 57 appearances with an .895 save percentage, all while carrying an $8,500,000 cap hit into the stretch run.
That's a rough season for a former Hart Trophy winner still pulling top-shelf money.
Trading Hellebuyck is a gamble either way. It's a bit like selling a car right after the check engine light comes on, you might still land a fair price, or you might get burned.
He's far from the only established goalie whose off-season is getting complicated by a younger arm eating into his crease time.
Jordan Binnington and Samuel Montembeault face the same squeeze
Jordan Binnington is living through his own version of that problem in St. Louis.
The Blues went 37-33-12 and ranked 23rd overall, respectable enough, but their goaltending hierarchy has flipped under Jim Montgomery.
Binnington posted 12 wins in 40 games with an .875 save percentage, still carrying a $6,000,000 cap hit.
Joel Hofer answered with 21 wins in 46 games and a .909 save percentage. That gap is not close.
Samuel Montembeault is dealing with the same squeeze in Montreal, and arguably a worse one.
The Canadiens finished 48-24-10 and ranked sixth overall, a strong season built on goaltending depth that no longer includes him as the answer.
Montembeault played 25 games, posted an .873 save percentage, and carries a $3,150,000 cap hit into a crowded crease battle.
Jakub Dobes took over with 20 wins in 43 games and a .901 save percentage, while Jacob Fowler chipped in 9 wins in 17 games at .908.
Martin St-Louis now has three legitimate options in net, and Montembeault is the one without a clear path back to starts.
Kent Hughes hasn't said a word publicly about moving him, but a crowded crease usually forces the issue by training camp.
None of these three situations has produced a confirmed trade yet, and the money attached to each veteran complicates things.
Camp is closing in fast, and somewhere between Winnipeg, St. Louis, and Montreal, a starter is going to lose his job to a cheaper option.
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Should the Canadiens trade Samuel Montembeault before training camp opens?
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