What will the dynamic be like if Connor Hellebuyck returns to the Jets?

The trade request saga between three-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets could either be resolved or reach a new pinnacle of drama soon.

The suspension the Jets levied against Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp comes to an end on Friday, creating a bit of time pressure for the team to work out a trade. If no deal is reached, Hellebuyck could either be paid to remain at home or could rejoin his teammates in what would promise to be an unusual environment.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by NHL insider David Pagnotta to discuss the potential of Hellebuyck walking into an awkward situation in the Jets’ locker room when his suspension is up.

Carter Hutton: And the factor is, like, Hellebuyck is so interesting to me. Like, he’s a unique guy, right? And you hear that all the time in hockey, like, “Well, you’re a goalie.” Hellebuyck is a goalie. He’s a unique person that’s tricky to manage, whether it’s media, whether it’s interviews around the team. What is this dynamic like from the Winnipeg dressing room as the suspension lifts? And the potential plan of, like, just paying him to be a practice guy, or does he actually step foot again in that locker room and disrupt what they have going on?

David Pagnotta: Well, that’s what everyone’s afraid of, that it gets to that point. Not that he’s no longer suspended and still with the organization, that, you know, he comes in the room and it potentially disrupts what’s going on. It’s a tricky situation because, you know better than any of the two of us. You’ve been in the room. You’ve played… You’re friends with these guys. You grow friendships with them. The wives grow friendships. The kids grow friendships. Then when something like this happens, you’re not just all of a sudden, you know, “F you, I don’t want to be your buddy anymore.” You are, but at the same time, you’re, “Well, I want to win, and you’re not helping us win, so good luck somewhere else. Get out of here.” That’s more or less the mentality in Winnipeg. They don’t want him there. They’ll still be friends with him after the fact, but they don’t want him there given the dynamic and how they started the season. You know, coaches are pissed. Management’s pissed. Ownership? Mark Chipman’s not happy by what’s happened here in this situation. Do they have to, you know, are they going to bite the bullet and pay him while he’s not playing for them? That may happen if he’s not traded by Friday. They may send him down to the [AHL] on a conditioning stint that presumably both sides agree to, so that he can practice there and get game time there eventually. And then maybe that moves the envelope even further. But, you know, we have to wait and see.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…