As team events get underway with the NHL season inching closer, players have begun sharing their thoughts on what's been a summer full of intrigue.
In Winnipeg, veteran defenceman Josh Morrissey spoke on Monday during the Jets golf tournament and was asked about longtime teammate Connor Hellebuyck's trade request.
"It is what it is. It sucks when, first and foremost, a guy that I've played my whole career with and consider my friend, feels the need to make a move ... on that side of it, it sucks," he said. "He's such a good friend and we've been together for so long, but you know it's the nature of the business.
"Guys want trades and things like that from time to time, so it happens, but like I said, there was definitely that personal relationship disappointment there."
Morrissey and Hellebuyck — drafted in 2012 and 2013, respectively — both made their NHL debuts during the 2015-26 season and have been teammates ever since. Despite that long-time relationship, Morrissey admitted he found out about Hellebuyck's trade request "when everyone else did."
The Jets star netminder for 11 consecutive seasons released a statement through his representation in late August, confirming he had privately requested a trade earlier in the off-season and was now willing to do so publicly. His request came on the heels of a 35-35-12 season for Winnipeg, as the franchise missed out on the playoffs for just the second time in the last nine seasons.
"My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family," Hellebuyck said in his statement.
And with the Jets having yet to move the three-time Vezina winner, Morrissey acknowledges it's hard to evaluate the team heading into the season.
"I can't really comment on what (Hellebuyck's trade request) does to the team," he said. "Obviously, (Hellebuyck) is one of the best, if not the best, goalies in the world, and so having him in our lineup every day gives us a chance to win every night. But I don't know what that's going to look like, nobody knows if he's going to be here or not ... so I can't say if it makes us worse. ... Obviously, we hope he's back at some point and playing for us for a long time."
How does Morrissey plan on preparing for the upcoming season with so much uncertainty?
"All you can do as an individual is prepare in the summer, prepare right now for training camp. And as a group here, our job is to have the best shortened, abbreviated camp we can so we're ready to roll and get off on the right foot and build off things that have been part of our identity in the past that maybe we got away from last year," Morrissey said. "While obviously you can't ignore it and there's a little bit of noise, that's out of my control."
Although Hellebuyck's request seemingly followed a recent trend of American NHLers asking out of Canadian franchises, joining the likes of Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk, Morrissey isn't convinced of a causal relation.
"I understand connecting the dots, but on the long term, it's a few pieces," he said. "I guess it's being made a bigger deal than it is, in my view."
