The Carolina Hurricanes would trade for Connor Hellebuyck today if they could, and that's a loud admission from a team on a six-game heater.
Elliotte Friedman made the point on the FAN Hockey Show, and his comments were making the rounds again Wednesday.
He called it a mischaracterization that Carolina doesn't believe in paying a goaltender. That reputation has followed this front office around like a shadow.
So what's stopping them? The final words of that report, mostly. “If they could” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Hellebuyck carries an $8,500,000 cap hit. Among NHL goaltenders, only Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy cost more.
Compare that with Carolina's current crease. Pyotr Kochetkov counts $2,000,000 against the cap, and Brandon Bussi sits at $1,900,000.
Kochetkov owns a .911 save percentage through 6 games. Bussi is at .871, and that number explains the itch.
Carolina's red-hot start hides a goaltending question for Eric Tulsky
None of this smells like panic. The Hurricanes are 6-1-1 and have won six straight.
Kochetkov was in net for the latest one Tuesday night, a 4-2 win over Washington.
Rod Brind'Amour's team averages 3.9 goals per game. What it still lacks is a goalie capable of stealing a playoff series on his own.
Right now, Carolina is a sports car on discount tires. Great on a dry Tuesday in October, a lot less trustworthy on a wet highway in May.
Kochetkov and Bussi aren't a Cup tandem, and Eric Tulsky should be working the phones until that changes.
But Kevin Cheveldayoff has no reason to pick up. The Jets are 4-1-1 under Scott Arniel and sitting on 9 points.
Kyle Connor has 7 goals in 6 games. A team off to that kind of start has no business shopping its highest-paid goaltender.
Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson have handled the Winnipeg crease so far. Skinner owns a .917 save percentage, including a 19-save night against Minnesota on Tuesday.
The Jets have their own fires to manage. Josh Morrissey is day-to-day with a wrist injury and expected out until at least Oct 15.
And the schedule just made this awkward. Carolina's next game is Saturday in Winnipeg, the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
Friedman's comments will be in that building long before puck drop. Whether they stay a talk-radio wish or turn into an actual offer is now Tulsky's problem.
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Should the Jets ever move Connor Hellebuyck to the Hurricanes?
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