Friedman: Hellebuyck to Rangers Unlikely After Shesterkin Injury

The rumor wrote itself. Connor Hellebuyck, a three time Vezina Trophy winner, wants out of Winnipeg and sits suspended after failing to report to training camp. The New York Rangers lost Igor Shesterkin, their own franchise goalie, to a season ending injury. Fans connected the dots in about five seconds, as one report put it. The NHL's leading insider then spent the weekend pulling the dots apart.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet addressed the speculation on Saturday Headlines and said he does not expect a Hellebuyck trade to the Rangers. His view, carried across hockey coverage this week, was that the fit does not work and the two sides do not match up. That assessment does not end Hellebuyck's standoff. It does cool the loudest version of it.

How we got here

Hellebuyck went public with his trade request on August 27, in a statement through his agent, Ray Petkau, saying a move was the best path forward for him and his family. He then failed to report to training camp, and the Jets suspended him on September 16. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has said there is no timeline for a deal.

The suspension is unpaid. Hellebuyck's 8.5 million dollar cap hit does not count against Winnipeg's cap while he sits, but he forfeits salary every day. A fan built tracker, hellebucks.com, counts the loss in real time using salary data from PuckPedia. By Friday morning, October 9, the forfeited total had passed 399,571 dollars, according to The Hockey News, which noted that the sum covered four games of the season and 5.3 percent of his 7.5 million dollar salary for the year. The site's creator, Winnipeg born data strategist Robson Fletcher, told 680 CJOB he built it after wondering how much money the goalie was giving up. He called the project funny, informative and a little petty.

Hellebuyck is under contract through 2031 on a seven year, 59.5 million dollar extension, an average of 8.5 million dollars a year. He turns 38 in the final year. Any buyer has to want the goalie and the contract, at an age curve few teams enjoy.

The Rangers side of the story

Shesterkin went down in the second period of Friday's 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Rangers confirmed on Saturday that he is done for the year. The team had opened the season 4-1-0. Backup Joonas Korpisalo is also out, sidelined with a lower body injury for about four weeks in the reporting. Dylan Garand, recalled earlier this month, is suddenly the man in the New York crease.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported Saturday that the Rangers are expected to explore their goaltending options. Exploring is not the same as landing a three time Vezina winner mid standoff. New York would have to pay Winnipeg a price that matches Hellebuyck's standing, fit his 8.5 million dollar hit beside Shesterkin's own large contract for future seasons, and bet that a goalie who has not played this season steps straight into a playoff race.

Key numbers

• Hellebuyck cap hit: 8.5 million dollars a year, contract through 2031
• Forfeited pay by October 9: more than 399,571 dollars, per The Hockey News count of the fan tracker
• Trade request made public: August 27. Suspension: September 16
• Rangers record at the time of the Shesterkin injury: 4-1-0
• Korpisalo absence: about four weeks, per reporting

Why it matters in Winnipeg

The Jets opened the season with Stuart Skinner in net and, in the early going, have won without their star. Every win lowers the pressure to deal, and every week of forfeited pay raises the cost to Hellebuyck of waiting. The fan tracker turned a contract dispute into a public countdown, which tells you how personal this has become in a one team city. A goalie who was on track for a statue, as The Hockey News wrote, now has a website counting his losses instead.

For Canadian readers, the hockey question and the money question are the same. Winnipeg holds a top five goalie who will not play for them. The market for him is narrow by design, because his contract is long, his price is high and his list of acceptable homes is short.

What happens next

Watch three things. First, whether the Rangers patch the crease internally until Korpisalo returns, which is the path Friedman's comments point toward. Second, whether another contender loses a goalie and widens the market. Third, whether Hellebuyck blinks. There is no timeline from the Jets, no confirmed offer from anyone, and no sign in the reporting that a deal is close. Until one of those facts changes, the standoff stays exactly where it has been since September, with the counter on the fan site ticking up by the second.