Prominent NHL figure tells Connor Hellebuyck to 'stop being a baby'
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Craig Button told Connor Hellebuyck to stop being a baby while the Jets keep winning without him. Here's where the holdout stands.
TSN analyst Craig Button didn't hold anything back on Wednesday.
Speaking on OverDrive, he had a blunt message for Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and it was only four words long: stop being a baby.
"Stop being a baby."
- Craig Button
- Craig Button
Hellebuyck asked for a trade and never reported to Winnipeg Jets training camp, so the club suspended him.
He's still under contract on a seven-year, $59.5 million deal, which means the Jets don't have to move him until the right offer shows up.
The Jets keep winning without him
Here's what makes Button's timing sting.
Winnipeg sits at 3-0-1 and is riding a three-game winning streak.
Stuart Skinner stopped 32 of 34 shots in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, and Kyle Connor scored twice, including the winner.
Clay Stevenson has also been sharp in a smaller sample.
Each of the last three wins finished 3-2, so it hasn't been comfortable, but the crease has held up.
The money part is hard to ignore too.
Hellebuyck's $8.5 million cap hit ranks fourth among NHL goaltenders, while Skinner counts $3.75 million and Stevenson just $850,000.
How long can this drag on
Button has also backed general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to stay patient until a trade matches Hellebuyck's value, even if that takes months.
The Jets can withhold his pay while he's suspended, so every game he misses costs him money.
Cheveldayoff has left the door open for a return, but the standoff doesn't look close to ending.
Fans have watched this saga all summer, and it only gets louder now that the games count.
Anaheim visits Friday, and Minnesota comes to town Tuesday.
If Skinner and Stevenson keep stacking wins, Hellebuyck's leverage only gets smaller.
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