{"id":771489,"date":"2026-06-30T17:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T17:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/771489\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T17:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T17:23:13","slug":"all-eyes-on-hellebuyck-as-jets-approach-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/771489\/","title":{"rendered":"All eyes on Hellebuyck as Jets approach free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

We can\u2019t technically classify the biggest issue for the Winnipeg Jets<\/a> as \u201cunfinished off-season business\u201d because we don\u2019t know if it\u2019s actually going to happen yet. But if trading Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> is in the plans, it\u2019s fair to say all other concerns are dwarfed and heavily influenced by the magnitude of that potential move.<\/p>\n

Hellebuyck certainly got people\u2019s attention when he said \u201cwhat we did this year was unacceptable\u201d at locker clean-out day back in April. However, nobody was really on high alert until early in the off-season, when it became clear there was more smoke to this potential fire than many initially thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more than two weeks now, we\u2019ve been wondering if GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will get the pieces to line up on a deal that would send the 2025 league MVP somewhere else. The draft represented one pressure point for a deal, but it came and went without a swap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, a second day that drives big moves is here, with the opening of free agency on Wednesday. There\u2019s no guarantee that if Hellebuyck is dealt, it will be within the next day or so. But a lot of balls are in play around the NHL and clubs we know or assume have interest \u2014 the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres, among several others \u2014 are most likely to address what happens next in their crease in the coming days.<\/p>\n

In a perfect world, you would think Cheveldayoff would like some certainty to the Hellebuyck question sooner rather than later, as it obviously impacts the other bits of business he\u2019ll need to do.<\/p>\n

\"FreeFree agency kicks off on Sportsnet<\/p>\n

Sportsnet is your home for the start of free agency. Watch the Signing Season special Wednesday, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET \/ 8:30 a.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.<\/p>\n

Broadcast schedule<\/a><\/p>\n

If moving out the franchise goalie returns the No. 2 centre Winnipeg has been chasing forever, Cheveldayoff\u2019s hierarchy of needs changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As it stands, the general manager will have to balance a variety of considerations when going out there and trying to improve a team that fell out of the playoffs one season after finishing first overall in the NHL.<\/p>\n

Finding a top-six forward is surely a priority. Usually, we\u2019re more specific about this need, as the Jets have had a 2C hole \u2014 with the exception of some fleeting solutions like Sean Monahan<\/a> \u2014 for several years now. The equation changed a bit on draft day, though, when highly touted pivot Viggo Bj\u00f6rck fell to Winnipeg at No. 8. The young Swede doesn\u2019t figure to be an immediate solution behind top man Mark Scheifele, but Bj\u00f6rck might be a contributor of significance within 16 months for this team.<\/p>\n

As always, the Jets will have to be creative here. We know Winnipeg is not a traditional UFA destination and even if it was, the paltry list of available free agents \u2014 and specifically centres \u2014 out there makes it hard to acquire significant assets with the stroke of a pen.<\/p>\n

Since we brought him up, has anyone contemplated a reunion with Monahan? The Columbus Blue Jackets, who inked Monahan as a UFA in 2024, are the rare team with Hellebuyck-level questions themselves, as reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski\u2019s future in Ohio is suddenly a hot topic of discussion.<\/p>\n

The Jackets have given no indication they\u2019re about to do a sell-off, but with the potential for serious roster movement there, could Winnipeg see about re-acquiring a guy who was a dream fit \u2014 13 goals in 34 contests \u2014 during his brief stay with the team? Monahan turns 32 in October and has three years remaining on his contract at a palatable AAV of $5.5 million. Maybe with big change seemingly afoot in Columbus, Monahan would welcome a move back to a place he thrived. If Bj\u00f6rck proves ready for primetime in the fall of 2027, Monahan could easily slide over to the wing.<\/p>\n

Availability is always a concern with Monahan, but we\u2019ll refer you back to the point where we noted Winnipeg must think outside the box when it comes to player acquisition. That can mean a dice-roll or two.<\/p>\n

Could the Jets talk centre Tomas Hertl into life in Manitoba if Vegas wants to move off his money? Depending on how things go for the Stars, could Winnipeg swoop in and trade for 24-year-old winger Mavrik Bourque if there\u2019s no stack left for him in Texas?<\/p>\n

As for UFAs, would they consider a swing on Anthony Mantha<\/a>? The 31-year-old netted 33 goals this past season and will surely be looking for the kind of payday that rewards both himself and many Mantha\u2019s moving forward. Of course, Mantha is notoriously mercurial, and the fear would be his production falls off a cliff once he secures his bag.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, a couple of candidates pop when you look at their overall profile and consider past precedent. In 2024, the Jets inked Nino Niederreiter to a three-year deal that wraps after 2026-27. Last summer, the Jets made a small, one-year bet on Gustav Nyquist, and it fizzled to the tune of one goal in 51 outings for the Swede. Still, you could see the Jets sniffing around other non-glamorous, experienced Europeans like Viktor Arvidsson or a trio of potentially former Wild in Marcus Johansson, Vladimir Tarasenko and Mats Zuccarello.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All those players could see the potential for a bigger role in Winnipeg than may be available to them on other teams with playoff aspirations.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the first two lines, Cheveldayoff will also need to speak with Cole Perfetti<\/a> \u2014 the 10th-overall pick in 2020 \u2014 about a new contract. Perfetti is an RFA coming off a two-year bridge deal. Surely both the organization and player figured, when that last deal was inked in 2024, there would be complete clarity regarding the player\u2019s future with the team by now. That\u2019s not the case, though, and the Jets will have to speak with Perfetti\u2019s camp to see what the next step is.<\/p>\n

Of course, the ultimate wait-and-see is Hellebuyck\u2019s situation. Until there is a resolution there, everything else will feel like small potatoes on the Prairies.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We can\u2019t technically classify the biggest issue for the Winnipeg Jets as \u201cunfinished off-season business\u201d because we don\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":771490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-771489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=771489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/771490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=771489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}