Connor Hellebuyck has been suspended by the Jets after not reporting to camp. Hellebuyck, who has five years remaining on his contract, has requested a trade.

With the possibility of missing the start of the season and a potentially long holdout, Hellebuyck places fantasy teams in a difficult situation – particularly those that have retained him as a keeper or have already drafted him in single-season leagues. Hellebuyck currently has an ADP of 24.8 in Yahoo leagues, which will surely fall in upcoming drafts with this latest news. His high draft position means that fantasy teams have no choice but to retain him in the hopes that a trade can be consummated quickly. The absence isn't injury-related, which also means that teams can't even use an IR slot.

In the meantime, Stuart Skinner is worth targeting in single-season leagues. Fortunately, he has experience with a heavy workload, having appeared in at least 50 games in each of the last four seasons. Given how his time in Edmonton unfolded (particularly in the playoffs), Skinner isn't everyone's idea of a goalie that can carry the mail. But he is at least a worthwhile stopgap option who is only being rostered in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Beyond that, the backup job is probably a battle between Thomas Milic and Domenic DiVincentiis, who have a combined three games of NHL experience. The current backup situation necessitates a goalie as a return in a Hellebuyck trade, which is entirely possible but likely a downgrade from Hellebuyck. One option for the Jets might be claiming a goalie off waivers as training camp cuts occur.

If and when a Hellebuyck trade is made (a trade is not a 100% certainty but the chances are very high), Hellebuyck's value may improve on a new team. Three possible destinations:

Carolina – A move to the defending Stanley Cup champions would definitely improve his value. I would assume that the Canes would part with either Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov to make the deal, so the remaining goalie would likely lose starts to Hellebuyck.
Buffalo – A team on the rise, Hellebuyck's value could also improve here. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could move to Winnipeg. If that happens, Hellebuyck on the Sabres would likely mean less work for Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
New Jersey – Hellebuyck would certainly improve the Devils, but I am less certain that his fantasy value would improve on a team that has been hit or miss the past few seasons. The Jets might target Nico Daws here. If Jake Allen remains, he will definitely lose starts.

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I recently participated in a 14-team Yahoo mock draft, which is appropriate practice for me because I have a 14-team draft in a few days.

This draft will obviously be deeper than the 12-team drafts I have participated in so far. For that reason, my team also won't look as strong. As usual, you can view full results of the draft at my personal blog Goods Fantasy Hockey.

David Pastrnak (BOS – RW)

The usual suspects were all taken, so Pastrnak seemed like the next-best option. Here is how the first round went. Surprise at #2?

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Pastrnak

2. Matt Boldy (MIN – LW,RW)

I think this is the first time that I've ever picked Boldy in any type of fantasy draft. I might be the last person to say that. I was a little skeptical about his game in the beginning, but he has earned this spot. Should I try to grab a defenseman in the third round?

3. Mark Scheifele (WPG – C)

Again, you snooze, you lose on the top-tier defensemen. That means guys like Matthew Schaefer, Darren Raddysh, Jakob Chychrun, and Jake Sanderson sit at the top of the D list. But Scheifele showed up at the top of the board overall. He had a 100-point season last season, which is hard to ignore.

4. Moritz Seider (DET – D)

I think Seider makes a lot of sense here because of his scoring and the peripherals that he also adds. Raddysh, Sanderson, and Adam Fox were also available here. Maybe they’ll still be available during the next round.

5. Jake Sanderson (OTT – D)

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Sanderson is in fact available again in the fifth round, so it makes sense to pick him there. Miro Heiskanen was my fallback option, but I have decent defensemen in the first rounds. Let’s take a look at some forwards next. Defensemen with the highest ADP here include Erik Karlsson, Roman Josi, Jackson Lacombe and Brock Faber. Maybe it was meant to be.

6. Miro Heiskanen (DAL – D)

As it turned out, Heiskanen was still available when I thought he wouldn't be. I've filled three defense slots already, which is something I didn't do in previous mock drafts.

7. Alex Ovechkin (WSH – LW,RW)

As I've mentioned before, Ovechkin is not getting the love this year in drafts. I think he can still score. But fantasy leaguers are probably looking at the age and the crowded forward situation in Washington.

8. Nikolaj Ehlers (CAR – LW)

I'm focusing on forwards for a stretch, as I could be leaving my scoring out to dry here. It has definitely been easier to pick defensemen in this draft than it was in 12-team drafts. Not sure why that is. Different drafts behave differently, I guess. That's why it's important to be flexible and not be stuck to a rigid plan.

9. Dylan Cozens (OTT – C)

I needed a center, so I went with Cozens. It's not often that you target a center with hits. Have you seen his hits totals? They’re pretty amazing.

10. Jet Greaves (CBJ – G)

I'm well past pick 100, so it's time to pick a goalie. Greaves seems like an ideal Zero G option. Overall, goalies have gone off the board pretty quickly, so there aren't many left. Again, it's about having the finger on the pulse of your draft. Remember this is a 14-team league, so starting goalies suddenly become scarcer because every team needs one or two.

11. Darcy Kuemper (LA – G)

Kuemper is not going very high in drafts, but he’s a year removed from a Vezina Trophy nomination.

12. Joel Eriksson Ek (MIN – C)

Eriksson Ek provides decent scoring at the center position. He's more of a depth option at this point, though. The draft is going very quickly right now, so not a lot of time to think.

13. Devon Toews (COL – D)

There's not much in the way of defensemen, so Toews makes sense. I drafted him in one of my actual leagues a year ago with much higher expectations that he didn't fulfill.

14. Sergei Murashov (PIT – G)

Let's go with a rookie as my third goalie. Murashov has some solid AHL numbers, and he should provide competition for Arturs Silovs.

15. Kevin Fiala (LA – LW)

I completed this draft before news surfaced that Fiala would miss the start of the season. The latest has him being at least three weeks away from being ready to play. He's fine for late in your draft, as you can probably stash him on IR and take a long look for an injury replacement or even a streamer.

16. Kiefer Sherwood (SJ – RW,LW)

Let's round it out with the hits king. The Sharks now have him on a five-year deal, so he'll get his minutes to pile up the hits.

So again, this is a 14-team league, so the team won't look as impressive as my other ones. Despite that I had an easier time picking defenseman. I don’t think my forward depth is quite as strong, and neither are my goalies. Because it is a 14-team league, it could turn out really well anyway.

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Do you have an upcoming draft, or would you like to compare your draft to some rankings? The Top 100 Roto Rankings have been updated for September, thanks to Bangers Fantasy Hockey.

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Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social