Avalanche missed out on Connor Hellebuyck, and here’s why

The saga that was Connor Hellebuyck officially came to an end on Friday. The Colorado Avalanche missed out, as the three-time Vezina winner went to the New Jersey Devils for a massive return.

And when looking at the price New Jersey paid, well, it makes sense why the Avalanche would have never been close.

The Devils 24-year-old center Dawson Mercer, veteran forward Nick Bjugstad, first-round pick Alexander Command, goalie Nico Daws, a second-round, and seventh-round picks in the deal.

That’s a lot of to pay up.

Frankly, the Avalanche could not have come up with anything like that.

The Avs don’t have a young center like Mercer to offer. While Mercer has been labeled as a bit of a bust for the Devils, the still a solid top-six forward. Perhaps the closest the Avs could have gotten to Mercer is Nic Roy.

Then, there’s Command. He was the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, and, well, the Avs don’t have a prospect like that in their system. Unless a guy like Beckett Hamilton moved the needle, it’s tough for Colorado to come up with a first-round pick to entice anyone.

Then, there’s Bjugstad. The Avs have plenty of depth forwards, so that wouldn’t have been much of an issue.

What seems surprising is the goalie heading back to Winnipeg. Nico Daws is 25 and was considered at one point the future of the Devils. That won’t be the case anymore. And when you think about it, the best the Avalanche could have done is send Ilya Nabokov to New Jersey.

Would dumping Nabokov for about three years of Hellebuyck have been worth it?

As for the two draft picks, those are negligible insofar as the other pieces in the deal.

Avalanche might not have gotten very far to begin with

Ultimately, it’s doubtful the Avalanche got very far in this discussion. There’s nothing to suggest that the Avalanche even made an offer. And even if the Avs and Jets talked about Hellebuyck, there’s no reason to think the conversation didn’t go beyond a chat.

The Avalanche don’t need Hellebuyck. While he would have been a fantastic upgrade, the bottom line is that the Avs don’t need a guy like him right now.

If anything, I would say the Avalanche need a guy who can score on the power play (Patrik Laine, anyone?).

Judging by the return, I’m glad the Avalanche didn’t blink. The price that Colorado would have had to pay, cap space and no-trade clauses notwithstanding, would have been way too much for the organization to bear at this point.

The silver lining is that with Hellebuyck now in the Eastern Conference, the only way the Avs could see him beyond two games this season is if the Devils and Avalanche met in the Stanley Cup Final.

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