Elliotte Friedman reveals the Jets' new trade strategy with Connor Hellebuyck

According to Elliotte Friedman, that mindset is shaping every conversation Kevin Cheveldayoff has with rival general managers.

On the latest 32 Thoughts, Friedman explained the message Winnipeg wants to send to its own dressing room and to the rest of the league.

Friedman said the Jets have made it very clear to other teams that they will not move Hellebuyck for futures, and that they want a goalie coming back and a roster that can compete.

He also pointed out that the group in Winnipeg is a good one, even after a difficult year that saw the club finish 35-35-12 and 26th overall.

That demand shrinks the market considerably. Buffalo has been the most active suitor, but Friedman believes Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen now has the Jets on his no-trade list, which complicates any deal built around a goalie swap.

Friedman also said the Jets were not interested in a Carolina framework because of a possible signability issue with the young defenseman coming back, and he described the overall situation as a holding pattern.

Hellebuyck remains under contract for five more seasons at an $8.5 million cap hit and holds a full no-movement clause, which gives him real control over where he lands.

Talk all summer suggested he would skip camp if a trade was not finished, and Friedman said it remained to be seen whether that has changed.

For Winnipeg, the calculation is straightforward. A trade that looks like a teardown could send the wrong message to the players still in the room and to teams watching for weakness. A deal that helps now is the only version the Jets appear willing to consider.

Friedman cautioned that everything can change with one phone call. Until that call comes, the standoff between Hellebuyck and the Jets continues to hang over the start of the season.

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