On the latest Behind the Play Podcast, NHL insider David Pagnotta revealed that the Jets are closer to re-signing Connor Hellebuyck than Mark Scheifele. Both players are on contracts that expire at the end of the season and there has been much speculation as to whether these players would get traded.
The Jets are in a weird place. They should be competitive enough to make the playoffs, but as they showed last year, they simply cannot compete with the best teams in the league. The Jets lost in the first round four games to one against the Vegas Golden Knights last season in a series that easily could have been a sweep for the eventual Stanley Cup winners.
The team could be in a position to be major sellers at the deadline as both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck would make very expensive rentals. Both players make a little more than six million dollars this season so if the Jets were willing to retain salary on their contracts, both players would be movable even to teams that are up against the cap.
However, it does not appear to be the case that the Jets will trade them. According to David Pagnotta, the team is attempting to re-sign both players just hoping for the best this season.
