With the NHL offseason officially upon us, the trade stoves have been burning hot already. There are many enticing trade targets available, and several of them come from the Winnipeg Jets, including star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg's exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs was ugly to say the least. The Jets lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, the eventual Stanley Cup champions, and head coach Rick Bowness publicly criticized his players for their lack of effort. With another disappointing exit and even more questions about the locker room, the Jets may be ready to blow it up this offseason. That includes trading away some of their top forwards such as Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois, but also potentially moving on from star goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Reportedly, Hellebuyck has no interest in signing another extension in Winnipeg after his current contract expires next offseason. Letting Hellebuyck walk for nothing would be a disaster for the Jets, and with a fire sale likely on the horizon, the star goalie may have already played his last game in a Jets uniform.
It's not often that a Vezina-caliber goalie comes on the market, let alone one with a cap hit of just $6.17 million for one more season. Throughout his time in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck has a .916 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average. He's been one of the NHL's best goalies for years now, and he'll attract a ton of interest on the trade market.
With that said, here are the three best trade destinations for Hellebuyck this offseason.
3. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have been linked to seemingly every big-name trade target, and it's not hard to see why. L.A. is a team on the rise, with two straight playoff appearances following a swift rebuild. With the Kings still boasting a very good prospect pool, the future looks very bright.
If there's one area the Kings need some help in, it's in net. L.A.'s goalie situation was a bit of mess last season, to put it lightly.
Franchise icon Jonathan Quick regressed badly and was eventually traded at the deadline. Cal Pedersen flopped in the first year of his extension, and the Kings recently traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers to get out of that contract. Joonas Korpisalo was good after arriving at the deadline, but he's a free agent and unlikely to return. That leaves Pheonix Copley as the only goalie under contract next season, and while he was good last season, he's still a 31-year-old journeyman.
Landing Connor Hellebuyck would make all of those goaltending issues a thing of the past. The Kings can fit him under the cap this season, then extend him once they have more room next season. They also have plenty of prospects to offer, so building a viable trade package isn't a concern. All in all, this could be what L.A. needs to become a true Stanley Cup contender.