Montreal hasn't called Winnipeg about Connor Hellebuyck, and an NHL source told TheSickPodcast.com the Canadiens have no plans to.
They have not inquired and haven't had any conversations with the Jets on him, the source said.
You need two to tango, the source added. Right now the Jets haven't even asked the Canadiens to dance.
The item being knocked down came from Steve Simmons in his Sunday column.
Simmons wrote that the notion he won't play in Canada is senseless, and that he'd report to Edmonton or Montreal in a minute.
He also wrote that the goaltender wants out because his family has apparently been treated poorly by the local community, not because of the team.
That's a heavy line to put in print. It explains more about this standoff than any trade package ever could.
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Connor Hellebuyck to Montreal? Source pushes back on Canadiens trade rumors
The source read the Simmons item as coming out of the camp, led by agent Ray Petkau.
Nothing wrong with that, the source said. That's an agent doing his job and creating a marketplace.
Montreal doesn't sound like a buyer anyway. Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault split Monday's 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa.
Dobes stopped 11 of 12 and took the decision. Montembeault faced 8 and allowed one.
Jacob Fowler is in that mix too, which is the entire problem Kent Hughes keeps answering for.
Hughes has said the club won't open the season carrying three goaltenders on the roster.
Montreal is still trying to move Montembeault before the opener in Toronto on September 29.
The source was blunt about the rest. Montreal isn't paying in roster players for a position it isn't shopping.
Winnipeg didn't look desperate Monday either. Stuart Skinner went all 60 minutes and stopped 31 of 32 in a 3-1 win over Colorado.
Gabriel Vilardi scored and added an assist in that one. Cole Perfetti and Dylan DeMelo got the others.
Hellebuyck still isn't reporting and remains suspended. Elliotte Friedman reported the Jets turned down two Florida first round picks this summer.
So who actually needs this deal? An agent shopping a client nobody has called about works like listing a house before anybody books a viewing. The sign goes up regardless.
Kevin Cheveldayoff is waiting on a phone that Montreal says isn't going to ring. Somebody's version of this is wrong, and October arrives either way.
Should Kent Hughes make a run at Connor Hellebuyck anyway?
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