Connor Hellebuyck nearly traded twice as stunning details of failed deals emerge

Training camp is underway in Winnipeg, but the Jets' biggest storyline has nothing to do with what's happening on the ice. It's about who isn't there. Connor Hellebuyck, the franchise's defining goaltender for over a decade, has been suspended for failing to report, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff addressed the situation publicly on Thursday with visible frustration.

Perhaps the most revealing details have emerged not from the press conference itself, but from what went wrong behind the scenes with two teams that came closest to landing the elite netminder.

According to Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, the Florida Panthers made a concrete push for Hellebuyck before ultimately pivoting in a different direction. The reported offer from Florida included Evan Rodrigues, the draft picks that eventually went to Ottawa as part of the Brady Tkachuk acquisition, and another roster player who was not Anton Lundell. Winnipeg reportedly turned it down, deeming the package insufficient for a goaltender of Hellebuyck's caliber.

Florida then moved on, completing the Tkachuk deal and bringing in Jacob Markstrom, effectively closing the door on any Hellebuyck pursuit.

The Buffalo Sabres were the other club that got close. Talks between the Jets and Sabres around the June draft reportedly hit a wall over one specific sticking point. Winnipeg wanted Buffalo's fourth overall pick without surrendering their own eighth overall selection. That gap proved too wide to bridge, and the discussions collapsed.

Adding another wrinkle, Friedman reported that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo's goaltender, has Winnipeg on his no-trade list. At least one other goalie who could have been part of a potential Hellebuyck swap reportedly has the Jets on his no-trade list as well, further limiting Cheveldayoff's options in any deal involving a goaltender coming back the other way.

That last detail matters because Cheveldayoff has made clear the Jets still intend to compete. According to Friedman, the organization is concerned that accepting a purely futures-based package could signal to the rest of the roster that the window is closing, potentially triggering additional trade requests from other players.

The Carolina Hurricanes reportedly remain interested, but Friedman noted that if Winnipeg were willing to center a deal around Nikita Nikisin, it likely would have been completed already. The Jets are said to have concerns about whether they could sign the Russian defenseman long term.

Cheveldayoff has shown no urgency to force a resolution. He signed Stuart Skinner on July 1, giving the Jets a viable option in net while the standoff continues. Skinner and prospect Thomas Milic shared the crease during the first camp session on Thursday.

With the preseason opener against Edmonton on Saturday and the regular season beginning October 2 against Boston, the clock is ticking. Cheveldayoff, however, seems perfectly comfortable letting it run. "This isn't necessarily a time thing for me," he said. "I just want to get this right."

The two failed trades to Florida and Buffalo stand as the clearest illustration of why this saga remains unresolved, and why it may stay that way for a while longer.