All eyes on Hellebuyck as Jets approach free agency

We can’t technically classify the biggest issue for the Winnipeg Jets as “unfinished off-season business” because we don’t know if it’s actually going to happen yet. But if trading Connor Hellebuyck is in the plans, it’s fair to say all other concerns are dwarfed and heavily influenced by the magnitude of that potential move.

Hellebuyck certainly got people’s attention when he said “what we did this year was unacceptable” 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. 

For more than two weeks now, we’ve 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. 

Now, a second day that drives big moves is here, with the opening of free agency on Wednesday. There’s 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 — the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres, among several others — are most likely to address what happens next in their crease in the coming days.

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’ll need to do.

If moving out the franchise goalie returns the No. 2 centre Winnipeg has been chasing forever, Cheveldayoff’s hierarchy of needs changes. 

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.

Finding a top-six forward is surely a priority. Usually, we’re more specific about this need, as the Jets have had a 2C hole — with the exception of some fleeting solutions like Sean Monahan — for several years now. The equation changed a bit on draft day, though, when highly touted pivot Viggo Björck fell to Winnipeg at No. 8. The young Swede doesn’t figure to be an immediate solution behind top man Mark Scheifele, but Björck might be a contributor of significance within 16 months for this team.

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 — and specifically centres — out there makes it hard to acquire significant assets with the stroke of a pen.

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’s future in Ohio is suddenly a hot topic of discussion.

The Jackets have given no indication they’re 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 — 13 goals in 34 contests — 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 Björck proves ready for primetime in the fall of 2027, Monahan could easily slide over to the wing.

Availability is always a concern with Monahan, but we’ll 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.

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’s no stack left for him in Texas?

As for UFAs, would they consider a swing on Anthony Mantha? 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’s moving forward. Of course, Mantha is notoriously mercurial, and the fear would be his production falls off a cliff once he secures his bag.

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. 

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.

Speaking of the first two lines, Cheveldayoff will also need to speak with Cole Perfetti — the 10^th-overall pick in 2020 — 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’s future with the team by now. That’s not the case, though, and the Jets will have to speak with Perfetti’s camp to see what the next step is.

Of course, the ultimate wait-and-see is Hellebuyck’s situation. Until there is a resolution there, everything else will feel like small potatoes on the Prairies.