After months of speculation about his future in Winnipeg, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has officially confirmed his trade request.
Hellebuyck’s name has been in the trade rumors since the end of the 2025-26 season, and the rumor mill will pick it up again because his request has gone public. NHL Training Camp will open soon, and Hellebuyck wanted to provide a clearer picture.
“Winnipeg has been the home of my entire NHL career, and I will always be grateful for my time there.
“I will never forget June 23, 2012. On this day, Winnipeg took the opportunity to play goalie in Odessa, Texas. I gave everything I had from that time to prove that the Lakers made the right decision.
“Several months ago I secretly requested a trade. I tried to handle the situation calmly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options.”
“With the training camp approaching, I felt it was important to officially confirm my request. My position has not changed, and I believe that it is the best way forward for me and my family.
“I appreciate all the Winnipeg Jets fans have done to me in my life and hope a resolution can be reached soon.”
As one of the biggest steals in NHL Draft history, the Jets used No. 130 overall pick to select Hellebuyck in 2012. Just seven years later, Hellebuyck has established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the league, and has maintained that level of play for nearly a decade.
A three-time Vezina Trophy winner, Hellebuyck has a legitimate claim as the best goaltender in the world. Over the last three seasons, Hellebucyk has saved 73.4 goals above average, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s 20 more than the next-highest goaltender — Andrei Vasilevskiy — and includes the underwhelming 2025-26 campaign.
There have been many years in which Hellebuyck has led mediocre teams, but 2025-26 was not one of them. He also allowed 0.35 goals above average with a pedestrian 0.895 save percentage. Normally, it would be fair to worry about a 33-year-old goalie with those numbers, but not in Hellebucyk’s case.
Hellebuyck led Team USA to its first men’s hockey gold medal in 46 years at the 2026 Olympics by allowing a total of six goals and boasting a .956 save percentage. That super final against Canada, where he converted 41 of 42 shots, made one of the most iconic saves in hockey history.
The biggest obstacle in the trade would be Hellebucyk’s contract. He has five years remaining on his deal at $8.5 million per season — and while that’s a lot of the term for his age — Hellebucyk is worth a lot more than his prime. The real result is that he has a full no-movement clause, which means that Hellebuyck controls his fate, and the public demand for a trade will certainly not improve the pressure on the ball.
Whence the land of Hellebucyk? Without knowing his preferred destinations, it’s probably safe to assume he wants a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and the team that acquires him will need the necessary space and resources to do so.
With those parameters in mind, here are five teams that could make sense as Hellebuyck trade suitors.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabers were one of two teams frequently linked to Hellebuyck earlier in the offseason, and that makes sense. A Buffalo riding team with room to upgrade is in the slot. I’m not discounting Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who have finally been formidable in 2025-26, but I’m not sure Buffalo will get similar games this season. Adding Hellebuyck would immediately remove the question mark and make the Sabers the favorite to win the Atlantic Division.
In fact, one of Luukkonen or Lyon could return to Winnipeg to help provide stability in the post-Hellebuyck era. The Sabers also own all of their first-rounders for the foreseeable future and are likely to take at least two of those who wanted Hellebuyck out of the Lakers. A year later, it’s hard to believe that Hellebuyck wouldn’t make any moves to leave Buffalo, but now it seems highly unlikely.
New Jersey Devils
When the Devils traded Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers in July, I assumed it would only be a matter of time until Hellebuyck was in New York. Nothing has come to fruition in this regard, but New Jersey absolutely needs an NHL-quality starter. Jake Allen, David Rittich and Nico Daws are now on the list, and this job is not done.
The Demons were doomed by poor goaltending and subpar defense – too much of the year. Markstrom’s 13.7 goals are above average, per the Natural Stat Trick, and even a scaled-down version of Hellebuyck would provide a significant upgrade over those numbers. New Jersey has the draft capital to get something done, but also to clear cap space, perhaps with the salary dump of Dougie Hamilton.
Carolina Hurricanes
Just like they won the Stanley Cup with Brandon Bussi in net, so the Hurricanes proved they don’t need an elite goal to go all the way. Regardless, with Bussi running, it wouldn’t be the safest bet, and adding Hellebuyck would only reinforce Carolina’s biggest strengths. As we have seen in the games, the Turbine are already one of the best defensive teams in the league. Put Hellebuyck behind that line, and Carolina’s scoring becomes a Herculean task.
Through GM Eric Tulsky, Carolina has savvy cap management in place to add Hellebuyck without firing a current player. Oh, and Carolina has three first-rounders over the next two years. If Tulsky wants to pursue Hellebuyck, he has the means to do so.
San Jose Sharks
This is more of a shot, but it would be fun to see the Sharks take a swing if this, given Hellebuyck’s trade mark, left San Jose. Despite the fact that he was overpaid, the Sharks blue line is better, and there is plenty of young talent available. Another factor here is the current state of the Pacific Division, which is abominable. The third place in the playoffs is up for grabs, and the Sharks could get it with Hellebuyck in goal.
Celebrity Superstar Macklin is in the final year of his entry-level season before asking for an $18.8 million salary next year, so San Jose needs to push the chips in here and raise funds next summer. Would a blue-chip team want to trade goalie Yaroslav Askarov to the Lakers? San Jose also needs to sweeten the trade package or involve a third team such as Winnipeg to take over Logan Lake’s contract.
Vegas Golden Knights
Yes, Vegas currently has $8.6 million in salary cap space, so they would need to make some impressive moves to acquire Hellebuyck. But the Golden Knights have already proven to let go if they want to trade a player. In addition, the goal was optional in Sin City last season. The four goalies combined to average 23.2 goals against. Only five teams had a worse percentage than the Golden Knights.
So how were the Golden Knights able to pull off the blocker Hellebuyck? The injury trade helped Alex Pietrangelo and his contract, but that was a costly affair. Veteran defenseman Brayden McNabb only has a modified clause, and the same goes for Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson and Ivan Barbashev. Like I said, this would be hard, but the Golden Knights had one team willing to drop a whole egg ball on the floor to make a few omelettes.