NHL Rumor Mill – September 16, 2026
The latest on Connor Hellebuyck, Morgan Rielly, Samuel Montembeault, and more in today’s NHL Rumor Roundup.
JETS GOALIE CONNOR HELLEBUYCK COULD REFUSE TO REPORT TO CAMP
TSN: Darren Dreger said he doesn’t expect Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to report to training camp this week. That will force the Jets to respond, likely on Wednesday or Thursday.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).
Dreger indicated that there would be no immediate financial punishment because NHL players don’t get paid until the regular season begins.
According to Dreger, the trade interest in Hellebuyck has been minimal. There was activity with the Buffalo Sabres before that draft but very little since. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t received any offers that he considers fair value for an elite goalie like Hellebuyck
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck revealed his trade request last month. Refusing to report to training camp will be seen as a tactic to force Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to trade him before the season begins.
Because Hellebuyck is under contract, the Jets can suspend him without pay if his holdout stretches into the regular season. While he’s suspended, his salary doesn’t count against the Jets’ cap payroll.
If Hellebuyck sits out the season, they will toll his contract forward, meaning he’ll still have five years left on his contract instead of four years. That might be fine for Hellebuyck, but it could make interested parties leery of acquiring a 34-year-old goalie with five years left on his deal at $8.5 million annually.
If Hellebuyck goes this route, it could backfire. The longer he’s out, the harder it could be for him to get back into game shape if he’s traded later in the season. Given his age, he can’t afford to blow off a season if he hopes to play for a Stanley Cup contender one day.
Cheveldayoff has a well-earned reputation for patience regarding players who want to be traded. The Jets GM could have the support of Winnipeg fans, many of whom aren’t happy with Hellebuyck’s stance and won’t support moving the three-time Vezina Trophy winner for pennies on the dollar.
Hellebuyck will wear it if the Jets struggle without him. Meanwhile, Cheveldayoff could wait until one of those interested clubs is willing to meet his asking price. Those clubs are unwilling to do so now, but that could change if injuries strike or they have a bad start to the season.
MORGAN RIELLY WILL REMAIN WITH THE MAPLE LEAFS
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston report Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka said there was no point during the offseason when he had a serious opportunity to trade Morgan Rielly.
Earlier this summer, the 32-year-old defenseman was the subject of trade speculation. In June, it was reported that his agent submitted a list of four Western Conference teams that he’d be willing to join, but Rielly never expressed the desire to leave Toronto.
Chayka believes Rielly will continue playing an important role on the Leafs, citing his puck-moving abilities to create offense.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The San Jose Sharks were rumored to be interested in Rielly. However, they opted to acquire Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers instead.
Rielly struggled over the past two seasons under former head coach Craig Berube’s defense-first system. He could regain his offensive form under new coach Jim Hiller.
CANADIENS WON’T KEEP A THREE-GOALIE SYSTEM THIS SEASON
TVA SPORTS: Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes doesn’t intend to have a three-goalie system this season. He said he’s comfortable starting training camp with Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler, and Samuel Montembeault, but probably not for the upcoming regular season.
Of the three goalies, only Fowler can be sent to their AHL affiliate in Laval without passing through waivers.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Brendan Kelly revisited his theme that the Canadiens can’t keep Montembeault on their roster following last season’s sub-par performance.
Kelly acknowledged the difficulty Hughes would’ve faced trying to trade the 30-year-old Montembeault this summer. However, he cited veteran analyst Pierre McGuire’s recent suggestion that the Canadiens should put Montembeault on waivers. McGuire believes Montembeault won’t clear, removing his $3.15 million salary cap hit from their books.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kelly fears the Canadiens will give Montembeault too much playing time, which could cost them games if his struggles continue. That’s what happened during the first two months of last season, but they didn’t have much choice after Dobes cooled off following a hot start. At that time, they didn’t think Fowler was NHL-ready.
That’s not the case this season. Dobes seized the starter’s role with a strong second-half performance, while Fowler acquitted himself well as Dobes’ backup.
Montembeault will have a shorter leash this season. If he struggles again, it’s unlikely any club will claim him if he hits the waiver wire. In that case, the Canadiens would recall Fowler and either demote Montembeault or put him in the press box.
THE FLYERS AREN’T DONE TRYING TO MAKE A BIG MOVE
TSN: Darren Dreger believes the Philadelphia Flyers aren’t done attempting to make a big splash this season. He pointed to their signing Leo Carlsson in July to a lucrative offer sheet, which the Anaheim Ducks matched.
Dreger said they’re still “big-game hunting” as they seek a star forward or a star defenseman.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word on which players the Flyers could pursue, but they will be worth watching whenever a notable forward or defenseman becomes available this season.
It’s looking like both Larkin and Helle and their agents have misjudged the market and their respective values in it. Expecting top contenders to offer up multiple high end starters from their lineup has shown to be unrealistic and now impacts the culture in their respective locker rooms. Ottawa played their hand well in dealing Tkachuk and then flipping one of the assets for a top six forward, Chevy and Yzerman tried for the home run and now their squads are wallowing in a strike out with men on base. Take assets, load up your resources, and run, removing the disruption from your club so that you can start the healing process.
High end goalies aren’t as important to a team as high end forwards and d-men. You can win with good goaltending, but you can’t win without high end forwards and d-men. So you won’t get as much in return for a Vezina winning goalie as you will for a Hart winner or a Norris winner.
IMO what Chevy should do is wait a see which projected contending teams are struggling in goal a month or two into the season. Those teams will become desperate to make a move.
Winnipeg had a good trade at the draft with Buffalo. The Peg is who overplayed their hand with Hellebuyck. Teams rarely make out great in these kinds of trades, when the rest of the league knows the player wants out. The most Winnipeg can “get” out of the current situation is to suspend the player without pay.
Larkin’s issue is that the Wings have demanded (as they should) a first line center to replace the outgoing player. Nobody has extra first liners hanging around to offer in trade.
Yeah, he wants out of Winnipeg, but he’s still under contract with the Jets for 5 more years. So they don’t have to trade him if they don’t get what they want for him.
One thing that we have learned about Chevy, he is a patient guy and rarely loses a trade.
Toronto St Pats,Detroits demand for a first line center is all well and good,the only problem is there is not a first line center on every team.Probably about 25 in the entire league!
Kev. That’s all very well I guess. But the team needs a rebound this year and their goaltending has taken a hit by losing one of the best keepers in the league. Sabres offered up at least UPL who needs a change of scenery and a second line winger. Maybe a draft pick too.
That deal would have rid the Jets of a disgruntled player and allowed the team to assimilate two young veterans into their lineup and their locker room. Any deal now will be last minute, not as optimal as before.
The current situation does not make Winnipeg better. It needs to be resolved and the teams in the mix aren’t increasing their offers for established players. There’s a cost for being patient too long.
SR – I agree, that’s why I believe such a deal for Larkin won’t happen. And I don’t blame the Wings asking for a replacement to their disgruntled center and now former captain. Trading him for futures or multiple “potential” assets would leave a huge hole in their already leaky lineup.
Larkin is back this year.
I would actually argue against Hellebuyck currently one of the best goalies in the world. He’s now 33 and last season had a career worse .895 save percentage. Now it is likely he has a bounce back season, if he plays this season, BUT his playoff numbers are no where near what you would expect a top NHL goalies numbers to be.
The Jets did a smart thing in signing Skinner this offseason in preparation of losing Hellebuyck. Skinner isn’t the sexy goalie that Hellebuyck is, and he does have his frustrations but, unlike Hellebuyck, his does have playoff success.
No the Jets aren’t better with Skinner then they are with Hellebuyck, but the drop off isn’t nearly as much as people think it is.
Skjei OReilly (OReilly 50% retained) and a 1st to a Minny for Hughes
Then Flip Hughes to NJ for Mercer top prospect etc picks as they are not a contender they can retool and free up some cap
Minny gets a LD to replace Hughes and a center to fill their depth
They cost less than the 20$m it’d cost to sign Hughes
?
Spare parts for one of the best defensemen in the league? Not a chance.
Imagine a world where you give up 3 former 1st round draft picks and 1 future 1st round draft picks for a guy only to trade him a little over a year later for some aging / fading players and selling it to your fan base as “well it costs less than Re-signing this young perennial Norris candidate “
Me either .
I would never have traded four top line assets for any player without already having a long term commitment from that player. Minnesota has traded the farm for a player that would yield far less in trade today. How far did they go last season?
Some of the contracts handout yesterday are ridiculous. I mean Sourdif gets 8/50+. He has played 75 games. Whatever the canucks gave buim 8/90+. Leondard on the caps another 8 year contract for not even playing a full season.
Have some gm’s lost there minds?
Whatever happened to a bridge deal?
Hughes in montreal is looking like a genius right now.
Irbe, Kiprusoff, Belfour just to name a few had rebound years after off seasons and got traded.
Dubnyk, traded away and rebounded.
Swayman had an off year, Bruins stuck with him and he rebounded.
Brendan Kelly licks his finger and sticks it in the air to see which way the wind is blowing and then bangs out an article in a clickbait column.
When information from MSL or Marciano about Montembeault comes out it won’t be from this guy.
I was thinking the same thing. It’s not unlikely that Montembeault will have a bounce back season. Play him the majority of the preseason games. If he has a strong preseason then he becomes a trade asset and who become a cheaper option than Hellebuyck.
If you look at his stats year over year, it seems he really has been the same guy his entire career. Below .900 save percentage, or right at .900 with a gaa roughly at 3.50.
He is more of a hopeful late bloomer than a bounce back candidate.
Captain:
To the question what is the average save % for an nhl starting goalie over the past 5 years, the AI answer, surprising to me, is:
25-26: 896.
24-25: 900
23-24: 903
22-23: 904
21-22: 907
So Kevjam’s comment higher up about not needing high end goaltending to win may merit.
Specifically, for Cup winners in the regular season:
Andersen: .874;
Bob: .906
Hill: .909
And, Dobes, who faced a ton of shots in the conference finals: .905.
Montembeault was .890 to .903 his previous six seasons. He progressed every season except for two with slite drop offs of .004 and .001 in two of those seasons. Last season’s .875 is quite the drop off. So it’s not unlikely that he can bounce back to slightly above .900 again. Which is all the the Canadians need.
Both Dobes and Fowler are just above .900 in their careers. Although they are quite a bit younger then Montembeault. Which is why he would be the odd man out.
Also it’s not like Montreal is a big defensive team. As per natrualstattrick.com Montreal game up the 10th most High Danger Chances and expected goal against. On a stronger defensive team, you could see his save percentage rise.
I wasn’t picking on Montembeault, I was just saying he pretty much is what he is. You can’t really see a particular dip in a season. He has maintained those numbers his entire career.
Over the last 5 years he ranks 88th in Gaa and 77th in sv%
Looking at the overall stats in quantahockey , those overall averages look bizarre. Not sure AI understands the question?
Captain: The results are to the question as I posed it.
Could the results be off? As a whole, possibly, as AI aggregates from a broad pool of results, it doesn’t just pick the most credible sources.
What is not in question is the average of Andersen, Bob, and Hill for an individual season, as there is no ambiguity in the question and no pool of dubious stats.
So, ???? Dunno, my friend. I will leave it there as I have a dog to walk.
That’s not where he sticks it, HF30.
Kelly is an idiot, as shown by the easily seen flaw in his logic. Lyle may be in a position of having to refer to media’s daily musing for his column and, I guess, give us the choice of how we react,but quoting Kelly is the equivalent of quoting Roland the Farter, Henry II’s court jester.
What do you think of Engel’s column today in which he raises the possibility of Xhejak having a go at forward?
Xhekaj played one game at forward last year at Carolina and the players gave him the wolf head (player of the game).
He wasn’t out of place, he played 5 min. had 5 big hits and one blocked shot, Carolina D were discombobulated.
I have mentioned before that he actually skates faster than both Texier and Bolduc and surprisingly is as fast as Kreider.
Can he be an effective 4th line LW? Possibly and his lower TOI wouldn’t stand out, not to mention in case of a major penalty he’d be easier to replace.
He did start out as a forward so the position isn’t foreign to him.
I think just the fact that it’s being considered shows that the Habs want to get him into the lineup and are willing to find the right chair.
Pre-eason is a good time to give it a shot.
If Helly sits out the season, would Winnipeg be required to toll his contract forward? If not, then why would they want to? It seems like the 5 years is already too long in the view of potential trade partners.
tepwing, it isn’t so much the 5 years in and of itself … it’s his age combined with the 5 years. That, plus – as KevJam points out – the history of returns for so-called “high-end” goaltenders have been tepid … at best.
Simply put, even those regarded as elite have rarely fetched multiple high picks or even top-notch skaters. That was evident in the Patrick Roy, Dominic Hasek and Roberto Luongo deals which saw those eventual Hall-of-Famers traded away for relatively light returns of what amounted to roster depth or mid-round picks, due mainly to things like contract/cap pressure.
Or massive team indifference, which results in so few teams either being uninterested – or not somewhere that interests the goalie – that the hoped-for competitive upgrading of the offers simply don’t materialize.
Hellebuyck won the Gold with a great performance yes and played well in the 4Nations. but his NHL playoff results outside of 2018 has not been that remarkable. and he is 34.
so he has a few more great seasons left?
what do you pay for 2 seasons of a goalie? and then be stuck with 8.5 if he loses his game?
talkng to myself
Carolina would have cap space with Jarvis coming back in a few months. Kochetkov+Nikishin+?
Canes would be extra with Helly.
Buffalo is the logical destination as everyone has been saying. But Luukkonen going to agree to a trade to WPG?
NJD move Mercer for him? I think we all think their sites on Quinn
UPL to Jets has passed, his limited NMC has kicked in.
ds
Hellebuyck just turned 33 in May. His last few playoffs haven’t been remarkable but his 1st 4 playoffs he had excellent numbers. I’m not an analytics guy, but there’s more to evaluating than simply looking at save % and GAA. The last year of his contract he’ll be 37. Bobrovsky turns 38 on Sunday. Won cups at ages 35 and 36. Coming off a mediocre season and Leafs gave him a 3 year deal for 7m per.
I pick Detroit as a landing spot (unless Larkin expands list and goes to CBJ, they’d be my choice) Maybe now since they’ve names an interim GM things will get rolling.
Gibson has a no trade in Detroit yeah?
not many want to go to WPG
and yes if Detroit could move Gibson, find a way to get Helly and keep Larkin. they stay a team that still barely misses the Wild Card again.
With JT miller already complaining about being booed @ MSG——- JT+Schneider+Aspinall+ EJ Emery for Larkin. Larkin is faster and a tad younger but JT has had better total seasons.
My Ranger buddies think zero chance
ds. Detroit can afford to carry both Gibson and Hellebuyck. Gibson is in last year of contract and only has a 10 team ntc. If he won’t go to Jets there’s 20 other teams he can be dealt to. Especially at deadline.
And what the actual fu#* on that trade proposal? lol. No way NY gives all that for another head case
@slick
not a fan of JT at all. Id take Larkin all day over Miller.
EJ Emery looks like a 3rd pair physical dman if he makes it. Schneider will be moved at some point as he is an expensive 3rd pair guy. Aspinall maybe not a 3rd liner. the speed Larkin adds is worth it to me anyways.
The Rangers have D options now and in the near future. their top 4 is set and thats before Smits becomes a full timer
JT and Larkin both have full ntc. Doubt Larkin waives for NY if we get rid of Miller in process. Schneider could be a top 4 on a lot of teams. Not sure Detroit would be one of them.
I get it, Helley has been very good tender most of his career, playoffs aside. But tenders don’t generate big returns historically. He’s 33 with 5 years left at $8.5. He’s an expensive tender.
Ullmark only had a year left on his deal, but still a late first was cheap. He was outstanding in Boston for years, Buffalo before that. Won a Vezina as well.
Detroit didn’t get close to a cup without Helley, and I would suggest they won’t with Helley so why trade for him? To keep Larkin happy?
Carolina just won the cup without him, but their tending does look like the weakest part of their team on paper. But still won it all with Anderson and Bussi.
I wouldn’t give up Nikishen for him if I was in the position Carolina is in. Basically it’s a choice, they can’t afford both. A crappy contract needs to go back and the only one is KK, and still may not have the room for both.
Buffalo tenders were better than Helley last year. Both of them actually. I think UPL has potential to be a starter, and a pretty good one. Hey I get that Helley is a proven vet but I think they might be happy that trade didn’t happen now that they have had more time to ponder it.
The way I understand it is Helley is open to a whole bunch of teams, so plenty of competition for his services. And yet??
I think he reports before the season starts, they give this another go at the TDL.
Or WPG takes a small return, which it very well could be again if he plays and they wait.
WPG fans may need to accept that 33 yr old expensive tenders don’t have the value folks had hoped for.
Good news is that we will likely find out for sure eventually.
Ray – I agree with everything you have said about Helle. Which begs the question as to why Chevy keeps the price on him so high, when he could have had a much younger and cheaper UPL. Plus a young winger under team control. Great to be patient, until the ship sails away.
Mostly all goalies will be making 8.5+ in a few years
id like to throw out a trade between cbj and montreal i propose cbj goes to montreal for matherson mont retain half of salary and kapannen plus a 1st or 2nd round pick preferably a first. i also had a completely different trade involvong marchenko and merzliking but i couldnt see mont wanting merzliking any thoughts of this trade
norman: ” I propose cbj goes to montreal for matherson …”
For whom?
Norman, Matheson has a NMC and is from Montreal so unlikely he will waive. He is likely to be the partner to mentor Reinbacher this season.
If CBJ wants a LD, I’ve said a few times they can have Struble or Engstrom, Montembault @ 50% for their backup plus as you said above Kapanen and a 2nd. (If the salary would work I would consider Guhle but that doesn’t help CBJ gain cap.)
This frees up salary for Fantilli and fills the 3rd pair LD (behind Werenski and Mateychuk) as well as the backup goalie.
I think the only way CBJ can trade an injured Merzlikins is with a sweetener to a team with lots of cap. Maybe Sea, Van or Cgy.
Columbus signed a back up. Gotta come up with a different sucker to take mont
Montreal has a strength in that they have a good puck moving D core. I cannot see them changing that.
their only need imho is a 2nd line center. Michael Hage should join the team at the end of the college season but who knows if his game translates.
Only move I could see if moving Hage(or other prospects)+a pick for a proven 2nd line center if looks like they will go far NOW
Montembeault will start the year in montreal … getting maybe 2 in 7 starts to show he deserves to be the backup … if he doesn’t earn the spot by mid-November he gets waived
The Jets suspended Helly for not reporting to camp. How much more is Winny going to lose if they cannot honor Connor’s trade request? They are already a team that cannot attract an FA. Playing hardball and not honoring a trade request with a star player is not going to help their image with other players.