Ice Hockey
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Rumors Grow Ahead Of NHL Draft
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For 11 years, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has called Winnipeg home as the Jets' starting goaltender. But after the Jets missed the playoffs and Hellebuyck posted a sub-.900 save percentage for the first time in his career, questions are beginning to surface about whether the 33-year-old's future still lies in Winnipeg.
Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina-winning goaltender as well as the winner of the 2025 Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP. He even backstopped the United States to its first Olympic gold medal since 1980 with a .956 save percentage and a 1.18 goals against average in five games.
And now, chatter has picked up heading towards the 2026 NHL Draft and the start of free agency that Hellebuyck could be on the move.
Reports and league chatter have suggested Hellebuyck could seek a trade out of Winnipeg, though nothing has been confirmed publicly by either the player or the Jets. However, he has made it known that he wasn’t happy with how last season went and that things needed to change.
“Complacency is not going to get us moving forward, so something has got to happen,” he said at the end of the season in April.
He continued: “But to just put that same product on the ice, I don’t think it worked for a reason.”
Those comments only fueled speculation that significant changes could be coming in Winnipeg. Since then, multiple teams have reached out to gauge Hellebuyck's availability.
Florida has poked around, though that ship seems to have sailed after the Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk. Other teams, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, that could be interested are Vegas and Carolina.
Another potential fit could be the Buffalo Sabres, who could be looking to upgrade the position after goaltending struggles led to their elimination in the second round against Montreal this year.
Of course, just because there’s interest, it doesn’t mean Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is eager to move his franchise cornerstone.
Hellebuyck has five years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $8.5 million. He also has a full no-movement clause, allowing him to dictate where he could end up. Still, if there’s an opportunity to move on to a team with what he views as a better chance to win a Stanley Cup right now, it’s unlikely he would block a trade from happening.
If Winnipeg ultimately decides to move Hellebuyck, he would almost certainly become the organization's biggest trade chip in its pursuit of top-six scoring. It just comes down to finding that deal that makes sense for Winnipeg to trade one of the best players in franchise history.
