Penguins Must Inquire About Connor Hellebuyck
The Pittsburgh Penguins could use an update between the pipes and Connor Hellebuyck is the best option.
For Tristan Jarry, the writing might be on the wall. He’s going to have a new general manager that knows he’s been either unavailable or unreliable in the blue paint for the Pittsburgh Penguins when it matters most. He’s got the potential and has proven to be a good goaltender. The problem is that those moments have been few and far between.
With an aging core of players, the time for the Penguins to make one last run is now. Heck, the window might’ve even closed on that possibility. But, as long as those guys are in Pittsburgh, the Penguins have no choice but to go for it.
A new GM will have their hands full trying to quickly retool a roster that has far too many holes to patch in a quick matter. However, one thing they have to get right is the goaltender.
The unrestricted free agent goalie market doesn’t provide many surefire upgrades over Jarry. The 28-year-old will be one of the youngest UFA netminder on the market which should only drive up the price for goalie-hungry teams. He’s likely aware of that and should test free agency to see what is out there.
That would leave Casey DeSmith as the only NHL goalie on the Penguins’ roster. He’s a good backup when he’s not overplayed and exposed. He comes at a relatively cheap price. His roster spot isn’t guaranteed but he’s in a spot where the Penguins could keep him around.
Much to the benefit of the Penguins, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has hinted at a trade out of Winnipeg. His steep price would be costly but he’s the best available goaltender on the market. The new GM should spare no expense to bring Hellebuyck to Pittsburgh.
The 29-year old goaltender was named a Vezina finalist this weekend; an award he won in 2019-20. His 2022-23’ stats are worthy of the nomination: 37-25-2 with a 2.49 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
He made 64 starts for the Jets this past season. Since Marc-Andre Fleury’s departure, the Penguins haven’t had a workhorse goaltender. Both Matt Murray and Jarry have suffered their fair share of injuries. The Penguins need a guy that can play a lot and keep DeSmith limited to 20-25 games a year.
For Hellebuyck’s career, he’s got a 2.66 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Those numbers will play in the blue paint for a Pittsburgh team thirsting for that kind of elite play.
Hellebuyck is 17-23 in the playoffs but has a 2.58 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. The Jets lack of success and Hellebuyck’s consistent elite play has caused him to ask out of Winnipeg.
As far as his contractual situation goes, Hellebuyck is signed for one more season at $6.16 million AAV. The Penguins, before paying an astronomical price, would likely prefer to get him signed long-term. After a few Vezina nominations, Hellebuyck undoubtedly will want a raise on the current salary.
Hellebuyck’s current AAV ranks sixth among NHL goaltenders. Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevskiy, John Gibson, and Murray are the only goaltenders higher than him. It could be argued that he’s better than at least three of the five guys on the list, Gibson and Vasilevskiy being the only potential exceptions. He’d likely command $9+ million from any team acquiring him.
Heading into this offseason, the Penguins’ only “bad” contracts are Mikael Granlund’s $5 million AAV and Jeff Carter’s $3.2 million AAV. Jeff Petry’s $6.25 million could be lumped in there as well. Pittsburgh has roughly $20 million in cap space heading into the offseason, however. The could swing a trade financially,
The question would be, do they have the trade assets to do it?
It’s no secret that Pittsburgh’s organizational cupboard is bare. They don’t have many prospects that would appeal to other teams. They’ve got pick number 14 in the 2023 NHL Draft this offseason. That almost certainly would be included. A young defenseman like Ty Smith or P.O. Joseph almost certainly would have to go. Other draft picks likely would be involved too.
Would the Penguins even entertain trading winger Jake Guentzel who’s contract also expires following the upcoming season? It may be necessary to land a shark like Hellebuyck.
The Penguins are in no position to wait around to find a future goaltender. They could instantly boost the backend of the core’s career with such a move and also find a guy to stabilize the Penguins’ future in the blue paint. The Penguins should spare no expense to land the 29-year-old star in the Steel City.
The move would have present and future ramifications. Pittsburgh would certainly come out of it a better team than they are without Hellebuyck.
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