Connor Hellebuyck remains suspended as Jets trade talks stall

Connor Hellebuyck is still suspended by the Jets heading into tonight's preseason game in Colorado. Eight days in, nothing has moved.

The Jets suspended him on September 17 when he didn't report to training camp. As of Friday, Kevin Cheveldayoff still has no deal, though the GM insists no doors are closed.

The money starts to matter Tuesday. Once the regular season opens, a suspended player forfeits his pay for every day he's out.

Hellebuyck made his trade request public on August 27 after asking privately months earlier. Moving on, he said, was "the best path forward for me and my family."

Here's the part that stings north of the border. He won't waive his no-movement clause for another Canadian team, which takes Edmonton and Montreal off the board.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported the Canadian block first. Cheveldayoff has since confirmed it.

The optics are rough. He made 41 saves to beat Canada for Olympic gold in Milan in February, including a breakaway stop on Connor McDavid.

Jets suspend Connor Hellebuyck as trade standoff continues

Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Panthers offered two roster players and first-round picks, including Nos. 9 and 25 in this year's draft.

Winnipeg said no. That was the moment to take the deal, and turning it down looks worse with every day this drags toward opening night.

Buffalo got close around the June draft too, per Friedman. The Jets wanted the Sabres' No. 4 pick while keeping their own No. 8, and it stalled right there.

Utah, Carolina and San Jose have been linked since. The Jets haven't confirmed any of it, and Cheveldayoff says no offer so far has met both clubs' needs.

He also named the obvious snag. Teams with an established starter rarely go shopping for another one.

Moving a goalie with a full no-movement clause is like selling a car that gets to approve the buyer. Every Canadian buyer already got turned away.

Whoever lands him inherits an $8,500,000 cap hit through 2030-31. Only Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy carry bigger goalie numbers.

The leverage shifts next summer. On July 1, 2027, the full no-movement clause becomes a 10-team no-trade list, and the Jets get far more room to move him.

So why would Cheveldayoff hurry?

Because Scott Arniel has to get the Jets ready for Marco Sturm's Bruins on October 2, and his likely starter is a goalie Winnipeg only signed on July 1.

Then comes October 25, when the Jets host the Canadiens outdoors at the Heritage Classic.

Nobody in Winnipeg can say yet whether Hellebuyck is in the crease that night, wearing another sweater, or still waiting on a phone call.

Source : Connor Hellebuyck Trade Request: Why the Jets Suspended Him and What Comes Next

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