- Jets coach Scott Arniel says everyone is “waiting to see” what happens with Connor Hellebuyck
- ESPN reports at least three teams are still in the mix for a trade before Friday
- Read below for what Arniel and Cole Perfetti said Monday
The Winnipeg Jets say they aren’t shutting the door on Connor Hellebuyck, but they have no idea what happens next either.
Head coach Scott Arniel was asked Monday about the possibility of Hellebuyck returning once his suspension ends Friday. He said the group isn’t as set against the goalie as the outside noise makes it sound.
“I don’t think our whole group is saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want you. We don’t want you,'” Arniel said, per NHL.com. “Right now, everybody’s waiting to see. The players are waiting. We’re waiting. I’m waiting. The coaches are waiting.”
Arniel added that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is handling the situation and that it’s “an unknown” for the rest of the room.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news over the weekend that the suspension runs out Oct. 23. Hellebuyck, who requested a trade in the offseason, had told the Jets he intended to return before the regular season started. Friedman floated one possible outcome, with the Jets paying him to stay home:
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Monday that the belief is he stays away from the team while still collecting his salary. She also said at least three teams remain in the mix, though a trade by Friday isn’t guaranteed. Take a look at the update:
Cole Perfetti was asked about Hellebuyck’s potential return and stuck to the same message. He said the Jets want players who want to be there, and that anything else is noise. Here’s his answer:
Perfetti’s message lines up with what captain Adam Lowry said Saturday, when he told reporters there would have to be conversations if Hellebuyck shows up.
Winnipeg is 4-2-2 without him. Stuart Skinner is 3-0-2 and Clay Stevenson is 1-2-0 in the crease.
Hellebuyck is in the second year of a seven-year, $59.5 million deal. The Jets can trade him, pay him to stay home, send him on a conditioning stint, or put him back in the lineup, and Arniel made clear he doesn’t know which one it will be.
