The Utah Mammoth have the assets to pursue Connor Hellebuyck, but with the veteran goalie seeking a Stanley Cup, are they really the right destination?
Connor Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg.
That much is now official.
The more interesting question, at least from the Utah Mammoth's perspective, is whether they should want him.
On paper, the Mammoth have virtually everything the Winnipeg Jets could ask for in a trade. They have young talent, premium prospects, draft capital and a general manager in Bill Armstrong who has shown he isn't afraid to make significant moves when he believes they can accelerate Utah's rise.
But there is a problem with making a run at Hellebuyck.
The Mammoth aren't ready to go all-in.
And if there is one thing Hellebuyck's decision to leave Winnipeg tells us, it's that he isn't looking to join another team that is merely on its way to becoming a contender.
He wants to win the Stanley Cup.
That distinction could ultimately keep Utah out of the bidding, regardless of how attractive the Mammoth's collection of assets might look to the Jets.
Michael Augello of The Hockey News' Buffalo Sabres site recently examined Utah as one of the potential destinations for Hellebuyck, pointing to the organization's wealth of young talent and prospects as the kind of package that could interest Winnipeg. Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers and Sebastian Cossa headline a group of young assets that could give Armstrong the ammunition to make a serious offer.
There is no question Utah can make a serious offer.
I'm not convinced it should.
That's an important distinction.
Hellebuyck isn't some aging rental who could be acquired for a couple of picks and flipped into a short-term playoff run. He's a 33-year-old former Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner who requested a trade in only the second year of a seven-year contract.
He also controls his own destiny.
Hellebuyck has a full no-movement clause, meaning Winnipeg can negotiate with whichever teams it wants, but ultimately the goaltender gets to decide whether he will accept a destination.
And if winning is the driving force behind his decision to leave the Jets, Utah would have to convince him that the Mammoth are ready to compete for a championship.
That is where this gets complicated.
Utah is not a bad team. Quite the opposite.
The Mammoth made the playoffs in just their second season after relocating from Arizona. Armstrong has continued to add established NHL talent around a young core, acquiring MacKenzie Weegar, bringing in Vincent Trocheck and adding veteran forward Anders Lee.
There is a legitimate foundation in Utah.
But there is a massive difference between having a foundation and having a Stanley Cup-caliber roster.
The Mammoth are still building.
Hellebuyck, at this point in his career, is looking for the finished product.
That doesn't mean Utah should be dismissed as a potential destination. The Mammoth have enough talent to make the conversation interesting, and Armstrong has the kind of prospect pool that could make Winnipeg's front office pick up the phone.
But if Utah is forced to choose between accelerating its rebuild by sacrificing premier prospects for an elite goaltender or continuing to build toward what could eventually become a championship roster, the latter may be the smarter play.
Especially because there may be another star who makes more sense for where this franchise is today.
Dylan Larkin.
A player like Larkin could help Utah take the next step without forcing the Mammoth to make the kind of massive commitment that acquiring Hellebuyck would require.
Because this shouldn't simply be about whether Hellebuyck would make Utah better.
Of course he would.
The question is whether he would make Utah good enough.
If the answer is no, then what exactly are the Mammoth buying?
A better chance to make the playoffs?
A shorter path to becoming a contender?
Or are they simply spending some of the very assets that could eventually make them the type of team Hellebuyck wants to join in the first place?
That's why, despite Utah's intriguing collection of assets, I don't think the Mammoth are in the right position to make a serious run at Connor Hellebuyck.
They may have the pieces to acquire him.
They just may not have the team to justify doing it.
