The Winnipeg Jets still can't find a home for Connor Hellebuyck, and as of Thursday the San Jose Sharks keep saying no.
The sticking point is Michael Misa. Winnipeg wants the young center in any package, and Sharks GM Mike Grier has no interest in moving him.
So the offers keep bouncing back. Both clubs are still talking, but season openers arrive next week and the silence from both front offices is getting loud.
The 33-year-old goalie demanded a trade during his exit interview after last season. He's now suspended by the club, which tells you exactly how far this relationship has fallen.
On paper, Hellebuyck is the kind of asset GMs line up for. His $8,500,000 cap hit ranks third among NHL goaltenders, behind only Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
And there are five years left on that deal. For a goalie with Vezina credentials, that price looks reasonable against what the market has handed out lately.
Yaroslav Askarov's rough year keeps San Jose on the phone
The Sharks' interest makes sense the moment you look at their crease. Yaroslav Askarov went 21-20-4 across 47 games last season.
His .884 save percentage was the real problem. Career-wise, he carries a 3.46 GAA through his NHL starts, and that number doesn't win anybody a playoff race.
The frustrating part for San Jose? Askarov looked like a different goalie in the AHL, stopping pucks at a .923 clip with the Barracuda in 2024-25.
Alex Nedeljkovic is the other half of the tandem. Eric Comrie, a former Jets prospect, slots in as the third-stringer.
Comrie is signed for two years on a one-way deal at $1.1 million AAV. That's a lot of goalie money parked behind a group nobody trusts yet.
Asking for Misa is Winnipeg overplaying a hand it doesn't hold. Grier is right to hang up every time.
A suspended goalie who wants out is like a house with a leaky roof. You can list it at full price, but every buyer knows you need to sell.
The clause matters too. Hellebuyck holds a full no-movement clause until July, when it shifts to a 10-team approved trade list.
He reportedly prefers to play in the U.S., though he's open to Montreal. That gives Kevin Cheveldayoff a narrow door, and the Sharks are standing in the widest part of it.
Winnipeg heads to Colorado on Friday night, then opens the regular season October 2 against Boston with the suspension hanging over the locker room.
San Jose sits 0-1-1 this preseason after a 2-1 shootout loss to Vegas. The Sharks see the Golden Knights again Saturday before hosting Florida on October 1.
Ryan Warsofsky can't wait on the front office. He needs a starter for opening night, and his options are the same ones that got the Sharks here.
-
The two teams don't meet until December 28 in Winnipeg. By then, will Hellebuyck be wearing teal, or still sitting at home waiting for somebody to blink?
Should Mike Grier move Michael Misa to land Connor Hellebuyck?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Dylan Larkin has reportedly made his choice regarding involving the Montreal Canadiens
