Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Thursday there is no side deal attached to Connor Hellebuyck’s contract, pushing back on speculation that could explain the goaltender’s refusal to report to training camp. “A contract is a contract in the National Hockey League. Period. There are no side agreements, there are no gentlemen agreements,” Cheveldayoff told reporters, according to TSN.
Hellebuyck was suspended by Winnipeg last week for missing the start of camp after requesting a trade in August. Cheveldayoff said the club has not received an offer it considers acceptable for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, who is signed for five more seasons, and that there is no timeline pushing a resolution. “No door is closed,” he said, leaving open the possibility Hellebuyck could still report to Winnipeg. The goaltender has indicated to teams he will not accept a trade to any of the NHL’s six Canadian clubs, NHL insider Darren Dreger reported this week.
In Detroit, Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin addressed his trade request publicly for the first time Thursday, declining to explain what led him to ask out of the only NHL city he has played in. “There was a lot there, a lot of personal stuff,” Larkin said. “I’m not ready to go there, and it’s maybe something that I may never be.” Larkin gave up the captaincy after the Red Wings announced Sept. 11 he would attend camp without the C, a decision he said he understood. “I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as the captain, and actions have consequences,” he said, adding the request had nothing to do with his teammates.
The Florida Panthers will be without winger Brad Marchand into the fall. Coach Paul Maurice said Friday the 38-year-old is rehabbing from offseason surgery and is expected to miss at least the month of October. “He’s going to take the month of October for rehab,” Maurice said. “That may be he’s ready to play right at the end of it, and maybe he needs a short period of time, assuming no setbacks.” Florida opens its regular season Sept. 29 against Carolina.
Closer to home, the Edmonton Oilers open their four-game preseason schedule Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place, marking Mike Babcock’s first game behind Edmonton’s bench. Forward Jason Dickinson’s status for the opener is unclear after he left Friday’s on-ice session early. Babcock declined to rule out an absence but offered no firm timeline. “We’re just monitoring that,” he said.
