The Hockey News Wraparound: How Will Hellebuyck’s Trade Request Impact The Winnipeg Jets’ Season?

Emma Lingan, Michael Augello, and Andre Leal break down Connor Hellebuyck's formal trade request from the Winnipeg Jets, Erik Karlsson's potential link to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and more.

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What's up, hockey fans?

Welcome to The Wrap Around, brought to you by the Hockey News.

I'm your host, Emma Lingan.

I am joined today by Michael Ajello and Andre Leal of the Hockey News.

Got lots to talk about today as we just get ever so closer to the start of training camp and actual hockey being played here soon.

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All right, you guys, one of the things that has been a recurring topic, throughout the off-season here has been the Dylan Larkin trade rumors.

So it's, again, one of the biggest storylines around the NHL this off-season.

He had reportedly requested a trade out of Detroit, and obviously several teams have shown interest in a legit top six center, but a deal has yet to materialize.

Of course, worth noting here that the Red Wings also don't have a general manager right now, so that's certainly complicating, any kind of trade or any kind of negotiations here.

So there was a report this week on Overdrive, or not a report, but an opinion this week, that Brian Hayes said that he thought Larkin would make the most sense in Montreal.

Obviously plenty of teams would be interested, like I said, but Mike, I'll ask you first, how do you think he would work in Montreal?

Do you think that Dylan Larkin would be a fit there?

And maybe more importantly, what would the Canadians have to send in return?

Would he make a lot of sense for a number of teams as a number two center?

Of course.

He's number one center, and, he's a second level number one center in Detroit.

He would be a great number two center with another team, and Nick Suzuki, I think, is a pretty good number one center being a very two, good two-way player.

But the problem is he doesn't wanna play in Canada.

I mean, he has family in the Toronto area, and there were rumors when he first said, that he wanted to be traded, of them potentially being a destination, and that quickly went by the wayside when he put, a list of three, now four teams out there.

Yeah, they, I mean, Emma, give me a dollar for every time we talked about the Montreal Canadiens needing a number two center.

I mean, they still do.

They still haven't addressed the issue.

Whoever they trade for, the names that'll be out there will be David Reinbacher, their former top five pick who was a, is a defenseman who's still not in the NHL.

Alexander Zharov I believe is the, the pronunciation, is the, the Russian kid they drafted in the second round after Demidov, who's, you know, a really good, great prospect.

I don't, and they'd probably have to, they to get a legitimate number two center they'd probably have to give up one or maybe two first round picks.

The price for a number two center in this league is extremely high, even for a rental.

But that premise that Brian Hayes floated, it makes sense in terms of fit.

It does not make sense in terms of Dylan Larkin wanting to go to Montreal.

Yeah, I think from that perspective, I mean, Andre, look around the league.

What team wouldn't want Dylan Larkin on, on their team, you know, centering their, one of their top two lines?

But like Mike said, it's more about what a team could give in return in a trade and whether Larkin would actually want to be there.

So looking at Montreal, what do you think?

I mean, do you think this is a realistic possibility, and, and do you agree with Mike on kind of the premise of a trade here?

I don't think it's unrealistic in the sense where a even trade can happen where both sides have the assets to give each other.

And obviously the fit with Montreal needing that second line center works perfectly.

Yeah, I wouldn't say he's like an elite number one like Michael said.

It's kind of like when you have two goaltenders who can't really take the starter job, but they support each other kind of like a one B, one A situation.

That would kind of work nicely with Suzuki and Larkin.

But in the sense of, you know, a lot of teams want Dylan Larkin, but what teams did Dylan Lar- Larkin want, right?

He has all that control, and obviously, you know, Montreal is not on that very, very short list of his.

So one, in one way it makes a lot of sense.

It could work nicely for the player and, and both teams, honestly.

You know, if Montreal were, were able to have some sort of conversation with whoever's gonna be in charge of the Red Wings next, if they were able to have that conversation, it, it's, I feel like Michael Hage might be mentioned there, you know, really top prospect that can probably help the team sooner rather than later and could be a difference maker.

But aside from that, it, it's hard to see that, you know, realistically materializing.

Well, Mike, I wanna go back for a second.

I'm glad you brought up, Toronto in this conversation, because actually Toronto is the next topic I wanna talk about here.

So on 32 Thoughts this week, Elliot Friedman actually shared a prediction that depending on how the seasons go for both the Maple Leafs and the Penguins, that Erik Karlsson could become an option for the Maple Leafs.

So obviously we know that I feel like we hear Karlsson's name around trade rumors all the time, every year now since he's been in Pittsburgh.

And when Kyle Dubas was the Leafs GM, he did try to trade for Karlsson.

So, looking at this situation now, I mean, what are your thoughts on this?

Do you think that that makes sense kinda depending on how the seasons go for both of these teams?

First, the premise would have to be that Pittsburgh has fallen out or does not think that they can make the playoffs.

Otherwise, they'll keep Karlsson.

You know, they have, you know, the, the core group of the, Cup winners from almost a decade ago still there in Letang and Malkin and Crosby, and the, the, the marching orders seem to be let's keep, continue to try to make the playoffs as long as they're around.

If they see the, their, their playoff fortunes f- going by the wayside, then not only Karlsson but guys like Brian Rust and Rickard Rakell and the players that we thought were gonna get traded last year might be on the market as well.

Now that being said, from the Toronto perspective, if they're contending for a playoff spot, maybe not.

If they're contending, you know, they're first, second, or third in the Atlantic division, and they think that they're an Erik Karlsson away from winning a Stanley Cup, I mean, Karlsson is a power play quarterback and a very mobile defenseman.

They have the power play quarterback situation rectified, at least we think, by the addition of Darren Raddysh.

So it would, they would have to need to improve on the right side, and unless Kris Letang is injured, the- they don't really need a right shot defensemen.

Not to say that you don't want a future Hall of Famer in Erik Karlsson, but I don't know if the need is there, and let's just say this.

I don't think the Leafs are trading, you know, the I don't think Pittsburgh is interested in Morgan Rielly or, or Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

They're gonna want probably their top prospect defenseman, which is, which is Ben Danforth, and a probably a first round pick, which they don't have one until 2029.

So I don't know.

It, it makes sense again as a fit, but Andre, I, I, I just don't think it's gonna happen.

Yeah, Andre, what do you think with covering the Leafs?

What do you think of a, a fit here potentially?

Mike, Mike's got it pretty on the nose.

I, I'd add to that, you know, Erik Karlsson's cap hit is not r- very cheap.

It's, I know he, I think he has some retention in that trade going to Pittsburgh, but even then it's well over 10 million I think.

And obviously, you know, with how much Toronto has spent in the off season, they don't have $10 million laying around.

So some money's gonna have to go out, and, you know, if, if that money going out is, is a Rielly, you know, Mike said maybe Pittsburgh not interested in that, but even if you do a Rielly for Karlsson among other as- assets, do Toronto get that much better just adding more right-handed defensemen in that sort of cluster down the right side?

And you lose another veteran defenseman at least, so in that sense, I don't see a lot of progression in terms of how good your roster is.

And then yeah, like Mike said, a lot has to go right with, you know, how both teams are doing in, in the regular season.

So it seems like a lot has to work out for that, but, you know, it's, it's fun to fantasize about these things.

I- if Stan Bowman was the Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager, I think there would be a better chance of this happening, because I don't see taking Morgan Rielly, who I still think is a good defenseman, but he has four years left on his contract, for an expiring contract in Karlsson.

I mean, the most likely scenario here is Dubas retaining 50%, but if he does that, and it's only as a rental situation, you know, the Leafs are gonna have to pay for that, and that means more prospects or more draft picks, and I just don't know whether they're gonna be in a position to give up those assets and prospects for a guy who would be a rental at best.

And also Karlsson and Rielly I think both have no move clauses, so- Yeah all this, it, it, the percentage just really shoots down when you really think about it.

Well, that's a fantastic segue actually into the next topic that I wanna talk about here.

So thank you, Andre.

Talking about those no move clauses, those are creating a ton of inflexibility for teams around the league.

I mean, you look at certain teams that really have kind of hamstrung themselves with the amount of movement protection that they've given out in these contracts to their players, really limits the flexibility that they have to tinker with their roster.

So Mike, obviously this has become a very common thing, handing out this movement protection.

Are there any teams in your opinion that stick out to you who have given maybe too many no move or no trade clauses to their players?

And, and do you think that this is something that we're gonna continue to see a lot more of in the league, or do you think that maybe we'll see a little bit of a step backwards?

I'm sorry to steal Andre's thunder here, but it has to be the team in, on the west coast of Lake Ontario who, you know, lost out on being able to trade Mitch Marner 'cause they gave a no movement clause that fell into the, the last I think two years of his deal.

You know, Auston, I mean, you're gonna give Auston Matthews, you're gonna give William Nylander no move clauses.

You know, Morgan Rielly, that's just debatable when they got him signed a few years back, but Marner as well, Tavares, I mean, they, they're handing 'em out like they're handing out candy.

There are other teams as well.

I mean, I'm sure Florida down the line when some of their players get into their 30s, they're gonna be hamstrung because, you know, guys like Reinhart and Verhaeghe and Ekblad, you know, it's like you may wanna trade them off, but the problem is they have trade protection.

But this is an e- it's an epidemic.

I mean, it's not just the teams that I mentioned.

There are tons of teams that have given out so many no move clause, clauses, and I'll bet you anything the next CBA, part of the NA, part of what the NHL is gonna try to negotiate is a limit, a cap on how many players you can give a no move clause on your team.

They can't take them away period, for period, but they can limit the am- amount of players that can get it.

Yeah, I'm gonna throw my, my team that I cover here in Nashville in that category as well.

I mean, you talk about all the movement protection that's gone out to guys like Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei, Yusi Saros, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, all those big contracts now that as this team kinda looks to go, you know, maybe in a different direction, there's really only so much that a new general manager can do in Chris MacFarland when he comes in and takes over to really kinda change this roster because there is so much movement protection.

But Andre, we've, we've talked about- Toronto, we've talked about Nashville.

Any other teams that stick out to you, as, as teams that have maybe gotten a little too liberal with the, with handing out these movement, no movement clauses?

Yeah, I think, you know, Flor- Florida was a great mention from, from Mike.

I think, you know, their whole top six and forwards and I think at least their top four D all have, like, not even just trade protection, like no movement clauses all, across the board.

And Luce Duran is getting one next year, I think, when his new deal kicks in, so that's one team.

I mean, you know, they're a good team at least, and we expect them to be a good team, so at least they have that going for themselves.

I also noticed the Islanders, they have quite a few, players with no trade protection, specifically in the forward group.

I think players like, Brayden Schenn, obviously that wasn't set by them, but that's someone that, you know, limits your flexibility.

And the Los Angeles Kings, covering them last year, I know their defense has a ton of no movement clauses.

People like Cody CC, Joel Edmundson, Brian Dumoulin.

I think all, all of them, but Brent Clark have some sort of trade protection.

So yeah, like Mike said, hopefully, hopefully something can be straightened out in the future.

I understand when maybe some smaller markets, they have to go with this, especially for free agents.

You know, teams like Seattle, they've been trying to lock down stars for at least the last season or so, and they can't.

So teams like that are, are gonna, you know, give what they can in terms of trade protection.

But if we can get some sort of limit to allow players to, You know, players like Dylan Larkin who can actually be traded away for a fair value, for the teams giving them away.

And yeah, I think it's just better for the league if, if we can solve something on that front.

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what an adjustment might look like, to that, to that policy.

Obviously, you know, you don't expect to get rid of the movement protection altogether with the next CBA, but whenever, you know, there's some kind of change that maybe goes a little bit too far in one direction, you need to rein it back in.

So interesting thing to talk about in the future of what a new policy or an adjusted policy could kind of look like here.

But moving on, you know, every year there's always, you kind of hold your breath and wait to see who's gonna be the first team that fires a coach.

You know, if you get into sort of a slow start to the season, things don't go the way, that they, that were planned, and you decide to move on from the guy behind the bench.

Then, you know, you look into, okay, who's gonna replace them?

Sometimes it's a, it's an internal replacement.

Sometimes they go outside the house to look for a new coach.

But there are a couple coaches still currently unsigned, who could be available to step in if a team does go with an early coach firing early in the season.

So looking at guys like, speaking of Toronto, Craig Berube, for example.

Mike, are there any coaches i- including Berube, maybe other than Berube, who you think could be first in line to actually be considered for jobs this season?

It's a, it's circumstantial here.

When you're talking, let's say, let's take Bruce Cassidy, for example.

If it's a team in the Western Conference, forget it, because Vegas and Kelly McCrimmon will block it.

If it's a team in the East, maybe there's a chance that they'll just say, "Okay, fine.

That's, that's fine."

if it's a team, that is challenging for a playoff spot and wants a quick turnaround, you know, like say Sheldon Keefe gets fired in New Jersey, then John Tortorella might be the right fit.

So it's all, it all really Now, Craig Berube, and I'm, I'm, you know, being somebody who is, well aware of, like, the Toronto scene.

Craig Berube lost an opportunity to be a head coach to Mike Babcock.

So do I think that Craig Berube is gonna get a job anywhere?

I'm not, nothing against him 'cause he's a good guy and everything, but if you lose, if you lose, a coaching, search to a guy as toxic as Mike Babcock, then I don't know if your prospects of being in the NHL are, are really high.

But I think there, there's a good chance that Cassidy will find a job this year.

I think there's an outside chance that Tortorella, based on what he did in that short window with Vegas, if a team is looking for a turnaround, that, he could, be somebody that gets hired as well.

I think it's fair to say that the, the Mike Babcock situation reflects a little bit more on the Oilers than it does about any of the other potential candidates, for that job.

But again, we will see what happens there.

Not to go down a totally different tangent, but Andre, looking at, you know, whether it's Berube or someone else, like, who are some guys who maybe currently don't have head coaching jobs who you think could be in that role by the end of the season?

I think the three that Mike touched on are, I think, the top three to fall into line next season, given if anything happens.

You know, I think Tortorella deserves some real credit.

I know a lot of You know, many aren't a big fan of his, you know, approach and, and methods, but I think he deserves a lot of credit with what he did with Vegas and, you know, minus the little fine he received and draft pick they got, revoked for his little media incident.

But in terms of, you know, coaching on the ice, he, he's got something.

He can, he can lead a team pretty far.

With Berube, it, it's interesting with, with the Oilers and not getting that job.

I think what he did in Toronto was eye-opening to others to see that you can't just throw any coach into any team and hope they enforce their own methods and make it work.

You know, Toronto was a very offensive-minded team before he came in, a lot of stars, a lot of talent, and, you know, you try to balance it out with a coach who's hard-nosed and very simple.

You know, on paper it might seem like the perfect fit to have bo- both worlds, but it just doesn't work out that way, and him and Edmonton might just end up being the same thing with McDavid, Draisaitl, and all the talent there, so.

But any other team, it could work.

You know, he's won a Cup with the Blues.

I, I don't see it, you know, being- Being farfetched to say he can have success anywhere else.

And then Cassidy's probably the, the number one guy available in terms of, you know, where he is in his, I guess, coaching prime, I would say.

I think those three guys are definitely, you know, at the top.

All right.

Well, we'll, we will have to see.

We'll come back, and see if our predictions were correct here.

But, you know, lots of teams could be looking for new leaders, and that includes inside the locker room too.

So if you look at the Senators in Ottawa, for example, they, you know, are now without a captain since they traded Brady Tkachuk.

So again, team's not required to have a captain, but there was recent reports that the Senators are closing in on a decision for the team's next captain.

So I mean, looking at this roster, few different options here.

I mean, we, we've talked about this before as well, for other teams, but Mike, who do you think should wear the C in Ottawa next?

Well, I think it's limited to three, and one would be contingent on him getting a long-term extension.

I think it's either Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, or Drake Batherson.

If I had to guess, I think it would be Stutzle.

He's the best player on the team.

He's the number one center.

You don't have to be the best leader on a team.

I mean, I don't think a lot of people think that, you know, Jack Eichel was a great leader in Buffalo.

You know, Auston Matthews, I think, is a quiet leader in Toronto.

So, you know, y- you have two schools of thought.

It can be either the best player or somebody who's inspiring.

Most of the time nowadays, it's the best player.

So if I had to guess, it'll be Tim Stutzle.

I would say if you wanted to go with that other school of thought, I mean, worth mentioning Claude Giroux as well.

It was, if you're gonna go for the veteran experience route there.

But Andre, like Mike said, you know, usually the captaincy tends to go to the kind of face of the fan- franchise, the best player on the team.

So do you agree that's probably what the Senators will do, and, and who do you think should be their next captain?

I think, you know, where the, where the Senators are, trying to remain competitive, I think a lot of those competitive teams do have captains, and I think, yeah, we- we'll see a captain named for sure.

I think it's gonna be someone Well, if it was up to me, it would be Thomas Chabot.

I think, when Brady was named captain, I think they had an opportunity to name it Chabot when he's been there for, you know, already at that point a few years, and one of the youngest guys to come in and really log a lot of minutes for them.

Yeah, he's not the best player.

He's, he's not, you know, the flashiest player, but, you know, when you look at what the Ottawa Senators represent, I mean, he's, he's right up there with who the Ottawa Senators are, at least in the last decade or so.

So I think you should, you know, highlight that sort of respect with that move.

He's been with the organization for a while.

You know, he's not really controversial.

You don't really hear anything about him.

He just goes about his business for the most part, I'd say.

So I think that'd, that'd be an opportunity, in my opinion, for the Senators to right a wrong when they named Tkachuk over Chabot back then.

Well, obviously Tkachuk getting traded, one of the biggest stories of this off-season.

It's been a really busy off-season too.

Lots of blockbuster trades, major free agent signings.

You've got like franchise altering decisions being made.

You've got front office moves being made.

Y- you know, teams have been under a lot of pressure.

Certain teams have been under a lot of pressure to really make the right moves off the ice before the puck drops on a new season.

So Mike, if you're looking at any moves that have been made, whether it's a trade, a free agent signing, or maybe even a front office or a coaching hire, which move from this summer do you think will be, end up being the most impactful in the NHL this year?

Well, it may be lazy to stick closer to home here, but I think that some of the decisions made by Jarmo Kekalainen in Buffalo, I think have, will lower the chances of the Sabres finishing in the top three, and I think they're more now a wild- in the wildcard mix in the Atlantic division because he had to trade Bowen Byram because Darren Ferris and Byram did not wanna sign a long-term deal.

So they made a pretty good deal with Chicago.

They, but they were forced to trade W- Alex Tuch to get the sign and trade, and they got a draft pick for it.

But they didn't replace Tuch.

Byram they replaced with Owen Zweger, who I think could be a good defenseman, but, their defense is weaker.

Their forward, their forward depth is weaker.

They've subtracted 44 goals of offense.

They haven't replaced it, and they didn't improve their goal tending after all the rumors about Connor Hellebuyck.

So really, they've taken a big step back.

I'm not saying they're not a good team, but they're depending on a lot of things falling into place, this upcoming season, and I compare it to the Buffalo Bills back in the, back, about a decade ago when they had missed the playoffs for 18, I think it was 18 straight years and finally made the playoffs.

The next year, they missed the playoffs, and then they drafted Josh Allen, and then they went forward, and they were Or I think they drafted Josh Allen, and they missed the playoffs the first year and then had a, a number of years.

But the comparison is similar.

Buffalo has not made the Hellebuyck deal and really didn't replace the two players that departed, and I think that makes them have a s- have the They're taking, gonna take a step back.

Yeah, when we talk about impact of these moves, it can be positive or negative, right?

So Andre, any moves in particular that stand out to you in a positive or negative light that are going to really impact their teams?

Yeah, looking at a positive perspective, it, it's hard not to say that the Brady Tkachuk trade for Florida is just d- gonna do wonders for them, right?

Like, not only do they have two of the most maybe biggest emotional leaders in the NHL on the same team now in the Tkachuk brothers, you know, you have that talent still, that physicality and You could have them on separate lines, on the same line, whatever you want.

All the, all the star players that Florida has now, I think, yeah, I think everyone, they're the reason everyone's expecting them to be, you know, top of the league next year and, and obviously a, a cup favorite.

So I think that one to me is one of the more, impactful positive moves from this off season, for sure.

Well, we know in the NHL, you know, sometimes it's just one or two moves that can change everything for a team.

You know, whether it's a trade, a signing, a front office hire, a coaching hire, that, that one move can sometimes be the difference between a team making a deep playoff run and watching the postseason from home.

And obviously, you know, a lot of teams we talked about could be just maybe one or two moves away, from really making a difference and really kinda changing the trajectory of their season.

So Mike, in your opinion, which teams are just one of those one or two move away teams from either being, again, could go either way, either a Stanley Cup contender or a bottom tier franchise?

Okay, one in the East, in terms of one or two moves away from being a Stanley Cup they may be a Stanley Cup contender as it is right now because they made the final four last year, and that's Montreal.

If they got themselves a number two center, behind Nick Suzuki, similar to the New York Islanders way back in the day when they traded for Butch Goring and they had Bryan Trottier as their number one center, and Butch Goring was their number two center, that, that spurred them to, four consecutive Stanley Cups.

I don't know if the Canadians can do that, but I think if they added a established number two center, they would be, really tough to beat if you're Florida or Tampa or anybody else in the Atlantic division.

So I don't know that, I don't know if the will is there for them to make it, because Michael Hage, and they have some of these prospects, they may not wanna give them up, but if they wanna make that move to be a contender right away, that, that, that number two center is big.

And in terms of being one or two steps away from being bottom tier, well, I think m- I think Vancouver is one or two steps away from being the hockey equivalent of the '62 Mets.

I mean, they're terrible, and if they trade Brock Boeser and they trade Elias Pettersson, then sign me, to, to update me in a decade when they're ready to make the playoffs, because there's little or nothing there if they trade those players.

On that note, Andre, any, any other teams that come to mind here that could be just one or two moves away from either being at the top of the pack or the bottom of the barrel?

I think, you know, this, those one or two moves you're talking about I think could happen between two, two teams here.

You, you know, we look at the Minnesota Wild and how great of a push they made last year.

They look really threatening, knocked out Dallas.

They're gonna look to build on that too.

And then you look at the Red Wings, and we can put those together and think of D- Dylan Larkin, right?

If, if that can happen, where the Wild can get a, you know, number one center, he'll, he'll probably be a number one center on the Wild if he goes there.

That'll propel them greatly with how far they can already go with their great wingers and, you know, obviously talented defensemen.

And then I, I mean, we can say that it already impacted the Red Wings negatively just from the trade request, but if it actually, you know, if a trade actually come to fruition, that'll certainly, you know, almost certainly keep them at the bottom of the Atlantic division next season.

So in terms of two teams, that could be one move away for, for good or bad, I think just in one move, that can be the Wild and the Red Wings.

Yeah, and we've already seen how aggressive the Wild are willing to be, like you said, when they made the move and got Quinn Hughes.

Not only getting Quinn Hughes, but making that move when they did last year, really before any of the trade activity had started around the league.

Obviously cap consideration's gonna factor in, significantly here, but, definitely could be an interesting move to keep an eye out for.

Some unfortunate injury news, out of Edmonton that their new goalie, Stanley Cup champion goaltender Freddy Andersen is now expected to be out until late October.

He suffered an injury during an off-season workout.

So that means Edmonton now is gonna start the season with a goaltending tandem of Tristan Jarry and Devin Levi.

So, Mike, that, based on your face, I feel like this, this tandem doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in you right now.

So how concerning is this for the Oilers with this, you know, knowing Andersen's injury history was always gonna be a risk as well, how concerning is this for the start of their season?

Or are you that concerned?

Freddy Andersen being injured?

You don't say.

Well, okay, I mean, you had to expect it.

Freddy Andersen has basically been injured every year since he left Toronto and then has gone to Carolina, and that is, that had been a problem for Carolina for a number of years.

Last year they, they picked up Brandon Bussi, and that combo got them to the Stanley Cup final and got them their first Cup vi- or first Cup victory in 20 years.

Freddy Andersen, when he's healthy, is a good goalie.

The problem is he's never healthy.

And that's why they have three goaltenders.

And I mean, Tristan Jarry showed what Tristan Jarry is after he was acquired from Pittsburgh.

He's just not a consistent goaltender, not somebody you can really depend on.

Now, I think their best hope here is Devin Levi.

Devin Levi is gonna be motivated to prove that he's an NHLer, but I've seen Devin Levi play almost every NHL game he's played.

And if he's gonna be a good NHL goaltender, I haven't seen it yet.

He's been a good goalie at the AHL level, but his statistics got worse every year, and maybe that was just the fact that he knew that he wasn't gonna get a chance with the Sabres, and this is his opportunity.

So I think they're gonna end up going heavy with Devin Levi until Freddie Anderson is back.

But I don't know how much you can depend on Freddie Anderson.

This is not the Freddie Anderson that Mike Babcock had in Toronto.

He's not the same goaltender.

He's got a cup, a Cup victory, he's got a ring, but, I- you can't depend on him to be there when you need him.

You know the irony of all of this, you know who it sounds like the Oilers could really use right now is a guy like Stuart Skinner.

Unfortunately they do not have that.

So Andre, if you're looking at the situation in net in Edmonton right now, even with a healthy Anderson, like Mike said, still doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in this team.

But especially now that you know that Anderson is gonna be out at least till the end of October, how concerned would you be for the start to the Oilers season?

Yeah, just looking at the goaltending situation in Edmonton, to, to sum it up shortly, it's, you know, concerned, right?

It's, it's three goaltenders who, yeah, Anderson's won a Cup, but if you look at all three of them, you- it- it's just unproven, right?

Jarry had, had a cu- good couple of seasons back in Pittsburgh, but not recently.

Devin Levi is really where I focus in on here.

Like Michael said, you know, I, I remember good spurts of moments when Levi did get some chances in the NHL, but like Mike said, just the overall numbers aren't there.

But the way it's gone in Buffalo, he had a great opportunity to turn it around.

It's a new, you know, change of scenery in Edmonton, a team that could really use him, and if he can just grab that opportunity and, and, and go with it, that can really change the trajecti- the trajectory of his career, and obviously the Oilers this season.

So I think Jarry is what he is at this point.

Levi is really where it's the X factor, I'd say.

Okay.

Well, speaking of goaltending and goaltenders looking to make moves around the league, that's obviously the biggest news of the day here is Connor Hellebuyck officially going public with his trade request out of Winnipeg.

This is something that had been rumored for a while, reported here and there, but now he himself, through a statement released by his agent, has confirmed that he is requesting a trade out of Winnipeg.

So Mike, obviously not brand new information here, but now that it's official, if you're looking at teams that are in need of goaltenders, and, and where you think could be a potential fit for Connor Hellebuyck, any teams that really stick out to you and where you think would be a realistic possibility for him to end up?

I mean, this was the worst kes- kept secret in the world.

I mean, we heard Hellebuyck's name being mentioned, you know, prominently around the NHL draft and before July 1st.

Since the draft was in Buffalo, a lot of speculation surrounded the Buffalo Sabres, and I think there was interest there, but I, I think that the possibility of him going to Buffalo has decreased since July 1st.

One, the number four overall pick that they got in the Byram deal was supposedly part of the deal.

The other thing is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a five-team no trade in his, in his, on his contract, and, you know, if he's reading the tea leaves after July 1st and he hears Winnipeg and them getting Hellebuyck, I'm sure he put Winnipeg on that list.

So I think that the chances of him going to Buffalo are less.

That's not saying that it, they couldn't make a deal surrounding other players, but I think that number four pick and Luukkonen were part of the equation.

In terms of teams where I think he could go, if not Buffalo, the New Jersey Devils make a lot of sense because they have Nico Dawes and Jake Allen as their goaltending tandem, and that is not a playoff goaltending tandem.

They, they, you know, they, they have, I think, the right combo of young players, guys like Dawson Mercer, but they seem to be keeping their powder dry for a potential Quinn Hughes deal if Quinn Hughes does not sign an extension with Minnesota, so that might mitigate the chances.

I also think the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes could be in the mix because now you've got Brandon Bussey and Pyotr Kochetkov as their, as their tandem.

Freddie Anderson has gone to Edmonton, so can you improve on that goaltending tandem?

Probably.

And gee, Connor Hellebuyck?

Yeah, I think that would improve them.

Yeah, and, you know, Mike, like you said, worst kept secret around the league.

We've kind of known this for a while.

But Andre, now that it's official, you know, we, we kind of saw the signs that maybe Winnipeg was starting to plan for life after Hellebuyck.

You know, they went out, they signed Stuart Skinner this off season as, you know, it kind of looked like an insurance policy here.

Despite all the, all the claims, all the reports that this doesn't mean that a Hellebuyck trade is imminent, now that we know that it is something that both sides are actively working to achieve here, what do you think this means for the outlook for Winnipeg's season?

Like, how, how do you think they respond to this?

Well, with that insurance piece now in, in Stuart Skinner, you, you kind of have to look at it as this was great proactive thinking from Cheveldayoff.

You know, if you're expecting Hellebuyck would eventually move on.

In the goaltending department, sure, the Jets do, you know, lose a Hart Trophy winner and Vezina winner, in Hellebuyck.

But, you know, they've done a little bit of damage control where you have Skinner, and sure, his numbers aren't, you know, Vezina worthy, but he's still able to, to win you games.

He's done it in Edmonton.

He took-- He didn't take them, but he was their starting goaltender for the majority of two Cup final runs.

So he's not nobody.

He, he's someone that can play NHL games for you on a regular basis.

And now it's just an opportunity for whoever in the Manitoba Moose are ready to come up, whether that be, you know, like Tomas Milic, and, and some other guys.

So from a Jets perspective, they get a little worse in net, but it's not the end of the world, in my opinion, where the team is mostly the same from when they won the President's Trophy.

There, there isn't much change there.

Sure, last year was, wasn't so great, but there's still an opportunity for them to be competitive.

I mean, it, it all depends on how the other team in, teams in this central division, you know, behave next year.

So, could be worse.

We'll see what they can get for Hellebuyck, obviously, with his protection.

You always know that the return can be a little bit diluted in a way, but we'll see.

Yeah, Winnipeg, of course, loses some leverage in, in any kind of trade conversations here now that it's known, that this trade request is official.

So it'll be interesting to see.

Of course, we'll be keeping an eye, keeping tabs on this situation as it develops.

If you wanna read any more about the Connor Hellebuyck trade request, about any of the other teams and topics that we've talked about here on the show today, head over to the Hockey News.

It's been the go-to for all things hockey since 1947.

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Head to thn.com\free and grab your subscription today.

That's gonna do it for today's episode of The Wrap Around.

Thank you so much to everyone who listened to us talking some hockey today and tuned in.

We really do appreciate it.

We'll be back with an all-new episode next week.

But for now, from Michael Augello and Andre Leal, I'm Emma Lingan.

This is The Wrap Around, and we will see you next time

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