Hurricanes went to unusual lengths to land Hellebuyck but it backfired
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Elliotte Friedman says Carolina pushed hard for Connor Hellebuyck, but the Jets wanted a NHL-ready forward and the Hurricanes refused to part with a core piece.
The Carolina Hurricanes wanted Connor Hellebuyck badly, but they refused to pay the price Winnipeg had in mind.
Elliotte Friedman explained why on Saturday Headlines, one day after the three-time Vezina Trophy winner was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
The sticking point was pretty simple.
The Jets wanted a forward who could help right now, and Carolina was not going to give up Logan Stankoven, Seth Jarvis or Jackson Blake.
All three are big parts of the group that just won the Stanley Cup, so that door never really opened.
Carolina tried a creative workaround
Carolina did not simply walk away, though.
Friedman heard from a few teams that the Hurricanes called around to find out which forwards the Jets liked.
The plan was to trade for one of those players and then send him to Winnipeg to land Hellebuyck.
In the end, it never came together.
What the Jets got instead
The Devils sent Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command and Nico Daws to Winnipeg, along with a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Mercer is a 24-year-old forward who was already playing in the NHL, while Command was taken 12th overall in the 2026 draft.
For Carolina, standing pat keeps a championship forward group together.
Hellebuyck would have been a major upgrade in goal, but the Hurricanes clearly valued their young scorers more, and after a title run, that's an easy choice to understand.
Hellebuyck is 33 and carries an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31, so New Jersey is taking on a serious commitment.
He gets to face his old team in Winnipeg on Nov. 10.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
5-foot-10 Leafs forward gets destroyed by 6-foot-4 Oilers defenseman in eye-opening fight
5-foot-10 Leafs forward gets destroyed by 6-foot-4 Oilers defenseman in eye-opening fight