NHL Rumor Mill – October 19, 2026
Should the Mammoth attempt to acquire Connor Hellebuyck? Will the Flyers consider trading Travis Konecny? Can the Maple Leafs find an impact defenseman? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
SPORTSNET: Michael Amato believes the Utah Mammoth are a goaltender away from being a Stanley Cup contender.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).
Amato considers Mammoth starting goalie Karel Vejmelka an inconsistent, “league-average” goalie who can’t lift his team when they’re not at their best, unlike Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that Hellebuyck could rejoin the Jets when his team-enforced suspension for skipping training camp ends on Friday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will. They could pay the 33-year-old goalie to stay home, or perhaps trade him before Friday.
Amato believes the Mammoth need an elite goalie if they keep playing at a high level. He felt they could upgrade at that position if they really wanted to. The Jets want a goalie in return, and Vejmelka only has a 10-team no-trade clause while backup Sebastian Cossa lacks no-trade protection.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Several factors could derail a Hellebuyck-to-Utah trade.
First, Hellebuyck must be willing to go here. He reportedly has a broad list of potential destinations. It becomes a pointless exercise to make that suggestion if Utah isn’t on his list.
The Mammoth must be willing to pursue Hellebuyck, who needs time to get back into game shape after missing training camp and the first month of the regular season. Even then, there’s no certainty he’ll be the difference-maker they need, at least for this season.
They could be unwilling to pay Winnipeg’s asking price. The Jets reportedly seek a second-line forward (preferably a center) or a top-four right-shot defenseman as part of the return. They’ll also want one of the Mammoth’s top prospects and a first-round draft pick.
If the Jets want a goalie in return, they could prefer Cossa over Vejmelka, assuming they’re not on the latter’s no-trade list.
The Mammoth might not be interested in an expensive acquisition like Hellebuyck. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to upgrade their goaltending, but they could prefer a younger, more affordable option.
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: William James recently addressed a report by Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco citing Flyers sources claiming there’s “a growing sense of frustration” with Travis Konecny within the organization, which could lead to them approaching the 28-year-old winger about waiving his no-movement clause.
James doesn’t buy into it, pointing out that Konecny signed an eight-year, $70-million contract with the Flyers two years ago. He’s also been their leading scorer for six of the last seven years and is among the team’s leadership group.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s plenty of frustration to go around among the Flyers, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that extends to Konecny, who is currently on injured reserve. However, asking him to waive his NMC would be an extreme approach right now. Besides, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently observed, there’s no trade out there that can reverse the Flyers’ poor start. Whatever changes they make will likely come from within.
SPORTSNET: Luke Fox recently looked at what trade options could be available for the Toronto Maple Leafs to improve their defense.
Zach Whitecloud of the Calgary Flames, Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers, Carson Soucy of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brenden Dillon of the New Jersey Devils, and Nick Perbix of the Nashville Predators are among the serviceable defensemen who might be available. However, Fox believes making a trade for one of them requires real assets.
Real difference-makers, like RFA Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes or RFA Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings, will cost millions of dollars to sign and will be more expensive to acquire.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fox noted that the Maple Leafs face some easier opponents on their upcoming schedule. He believes the best strategy could be to “outscore their issues and hang in the standings race until true sellers drop out.”
That might help if they can pull it off. However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun thinks it’ll take more than adding one defenseman to improve their blueline corps. The Leafs lack sufficient tradeable assets to bring in more than one rearguard who’ll have a positive impact this season.
NYR gets Nikishin signed 7x $8.75 million AAV
Leafs get Schnieder and Star’s ’27 3rd from Canes
Canes get OEL, NYR ’27 1st top 10 protected, Av’s 1st from the Leafs
This gives NY a 3rd pairing left handed d (that will pair with Smits who is also left handed) that costs 9 million per year while giving up a 1st and a former 1st?
NY kicked the tires on Nikishin, but that was before trading for Durzi and Petterson . That ship sailed when they realized he was seeking 9+ per which is why they moved in a different direction.
Can’t see them renewing their interest after already filling the need.
Nikishin Is not what NY needs.
Their D does not look good- granted, they seemed to age so quicky from just 2 years ago. I do fear Tanev’s career (season is done) may be in jeopardy just based on how insignificant the hits look that injure him. I hope I’m wrong.
All this being said, not playing well and not being good are very different things. Take a look at over 3/4s of the leagues Defensive units, they aren’t stellar in name. I always find it funny how much unfair critique the leafs get. Raddysh was the Bolts top D most of the year and flourished but many will have you believe he is not even a top pair D? If he isnt , who is?
I get it, they dont have that one guy that eats 25 mins ala Hughes/Makar Schaeffer / heiskanen Dahlin etc. Beyond that- you wont convince me that player like Whitecloud or Perbix will make a difference here lol.
They need to solidify some pairings and simplify their games, their bottom four is just as unspectacular as Anaheim, Utah, Nashville, Minnesota etc.
Washington who is a “cup contender’ currently employs Lilegren on its top pair and Justin Holl
It needs improvement no doubt but OEL McCabe and even Rielly would be welcome adds by many teams
Sam – i am in agreement. The Leafs beat some good clubs already, and holding their own so far in the atlantic with a 2 and 3 record I think.
Barring more injuries, as time goes on in the season I suspect things to get better. Let’s keep in mind this was a bad club last season, have a new coaching staff in place and quite a bit of roster changes from last season. It is not unusual for this formula to result in mediocre results early.
I suspect the leafs to stay in the playoff mix most of the season.
I have no idea how the Leafs season shakes out.
Like you say 1Oilerfan, lots of change, plus they were not very good the season before.
My Bruins turned it around after a similar bad season, but they also didn’t chase expensive older UFA’s like Bob, or make splashy moves. They filled out the depth of their roster.
Some high end talent up front and Matthews looks healthy again, which is huge for them. So probably stay in the playoff hunt?
I believe the move to make was Knies for Edvinsson. In doing so Reilly is a 3rd pairing guy. Cutting his minutes down to 10-12 per game. Maybe he plays better or better yet he wants out. So that ship has sailed. Only thing left to do is flip Marchenko or it’s time to let Willie go.
How about Hellebuyck to Utah for Crouse, Cossa, Desnoyers, Tanev and a 2nd?
Crouse gives you something for your second line.
Utah won’t need Cossa and Winnipeg could probably flip him if they like Clay Stevenson better.
Desnoyers is a future piece, but a good one.
And to help the money even out, Tanev goes back to Winnipeg with a 2nd round pick. Utah has him buried right now, so the Jets could leave him in the AHL until they need him.
$8.8 milly for Winnipeg’s haul, and $8.5 milly in Hellebuyck’s contract goes back to Utah.
If Utah includes Desnoyers or Iginla in a trade for a Helley, or any goalie, I will be stunned.
Helley has value, but the ask listed above in the headlines likely won’t happen. I get why they’re asking, I would too. When he comes back, and if everything isn’t sunshine and rainbows, or he struggles early, the pressure could mount on Chevvy.
If I was thinking about trading for him, I would wait and see how that all shakes out.
If you take Desnoyers out of your offer, that seems more likely IMO. They’re getting a big effective C, and a high end tender prospect. Maybe change the 2nd to FLA’s 1st in 2028.
If winning is the most important factor for Helley, than you would be hard pressed to find a better team than them for the remaining 5 years of Helley’s contract.
Utuh seems like they made the bet that Cossa is their future. While Helle is a sexy name – i wonder if just riding Velmaki and Cossa til Xmas to see how things shake out is not a more prudent idea. Maybe it will turn out their combo is just fine…or if not…their maybe a more affordable option made available by then.
There are so reasons not to pursue Helle…age, contract, acquisition cost, less than stellar post season performances, long lay off.
All that is to say i am not subtracting substantially from my roster to address a problem I may or may not have.