Why hasn’t Connor Hellebuyck been traded yet? Will we see more eight-year contract signings before the Sept. 15 deadline? Find out in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

SPORTSNET: The status of trade talks for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck topped Emily Sadler’s recent list of lingering offseason questions.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).

Sadler pointed out that a Hellebuyck trade seemed imminent two months ago. Since then, the chatter regarding the 33-year-old netminder has grown quiet. However, she noted that her colleague, Elliotte Friedman, recently suggested that it could pick up around training camp next month.

Hellebuyck’s teammate, defenseman Josh Morrissey, hopes that the three-time Vezina Trophy winner will stay put. “You can’t believe everything you might see or hear out there,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets captain Adam Lowry also hopes Hellebuyck stays. “Until something happens, he’s a Jet, he’s a good friend, and we’re excited to get him back”, Lowry said.

DAILY FACEOFF: Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton recently discussed why Hellebuyck hasn’t been traded yet.

Hutton doubted that there’s any “buyer beware” attached to Hellebuyck. He thinks the Jets should move him at some point because of his age, pointing out that he won’t have much value left if they wait two or three years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets were reportedly working on a trade before the draft in late June that would’ve sent Hellebuyck to the Buffalo Sabres, but the deal fell through. There’s been no indication that the two sides have revisited those discussions, and nary a peep from the vacationing insiders (such as Friedman) that they’re having any trade talks with other clubs.

That doesn’t mean a trade won’t happen once the calendar flips to September when training camps approach. It seems like the Jets prefer to hang onto Hellebucyk, hoping he’ll backstop them to a bounce-back performance following a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, but that could change if a rival club steps up with an acceptable offer, whatever that might be.

TSN: With the maximum term for re-signing players to eight-year contracts dropping to seven years for deals signed after Sept. 15, some observers wonder if we’ll see any further eight-year deals signed before then.

The last eight-year contract signed was Ville Koivunen’s recent deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins for an average annual value of $4 million. It could be the last one ever signed. 

Cutter Gauthier of the Anaheim Ducks is the top player still unsigned among this summer’s restricted free agents. Others include Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings, and Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Gauthier and Fantilli could be considered the most worthy of inking eight-year contracts, but they could follow the recent trend of short-term deals for higher average annual salaries.

Next summer’s unrestricted free-agent class includes defensemen Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild. Both are in their late-twenties and prime candidates for eight-year contract extensions before Sept 15. While Makar may be open to that deal, Hughes reportedly prefers a three-year extension.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is the top forward in that UFA class, but at 33, he’s unlikely to get an eight-year extension offer.

Others include Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson, Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha, and Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: DeBrincat’s status remains in limbo until the Wings find a new general manager, who might not be hired until sometime in September. Batherson reportedly wants an eight-year deal, but the Senators seem cool to that possibility. The Bruins are believed to be interested in re-signing Zacha, but nothing suggests the two sides are close.

Robertson recently signed a one-year contract. Given how contentious those negotiations were, which included his rejection of a trade to the Seattle Kraken because he wouldn’t sign an eight-year deal with them, it’s unlikely he’ll be inking an eight-year contract with the Stars before Sept. 15.