Elliotte Friedman Confirms Carolina Hurricanes Have Made an Offer for Connor Hellebuyck Without Alexander Nikishin

On Thursday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that he has heard the Carolina Hurricanes have made a formal offer for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner.

Friedman noted that the offer hasn't wowed the Jets enough to pull the trigger on a trade. He did add context on what the package would not include in Hurricanes restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin.

"I did have a couple people tell me on Wednesday that Carolina does have an offer for Hellebuyck that no longer involves him," Friedman explained. "I just thought it was interesting that Carolina has something out there that's a change from where they originally were, and they remain interested."

Friedman also offered insight into how Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky approaches trades.

"Carolina's way under Eric Tulsky is they don't necessarily come in hot. They'll negotiate with you. They don't say this is our first offer and our best offer. They don't do that," Friedman said. "What they do have is a book on them: if they tell you it's time, it's time. Either you make the deal or you don't."

With the Jets facing a Friday decision point on Hellebuyck, there could finally be movement on the goaltender, depending on whether Winnipeg likes what Carolina has put forward.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.