If there was any doubt about Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s intentions heading into next season, the Hart and Vezina Trophy winner made it clear when he confirmed through his agent that he has requested a trade. The 33-year-old had knee surgery, and a career-worst .895 save % with the Jets last season, but still played 57 games (23-23-11) and was the key to Team USA’s gold medal victory at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
The Buffalo Sabres were connected to Hellebuyck around the NHL Draft in late June, but Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could not find common ground on a deal. The conventional wisdom is that now that Hellebuyck has made his trade request public, that Cheveldayoff is not in as strong a negotiating position to get the best deal for the netminder, but he reportedly is open to going to a wide swath of teams.
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Unless Hellebuyck is prepared to hold out, Winnipeg could wait into the season for the right return for such a valuable commodity.
The Sabres could be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but deals that had previously been offered that included goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen might be off the table, since he has a five-team no-trade clause that could block a trade to Winnipeg. It is expected that any deal involving Buffalo would include one of their young centers (Noah Ostlund or Konsta Helenius), one of their top prospect defenseman (Daxon Rudolph or Radim Mrtka) and/or an established NHL forward (Jack Quinn or Ryan McLeod).
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Other teams could be in the mix for the veteran netminder, either to get them into the playoff mix, or to elevate them from a consistent postseason entrant to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Where will Connor Hellebuyck end up?
Florida Panthers
Team Status: The Panthers fell victim to numerous injuries and the hangover of three consecutive deep runs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in the 2023 Final to the Vegas Golden Knights and defeating Edmonton to win consecutive Cups in 2024 and 2025. The loss of team captain Aleksander Barkov in training camp was a fatal wound, but a myriad of other injuries weighed down Florida to the point that making the playoffs became an impossibility. GM Bill Zito pulled off potentially the coup of the summer, obtaining winger Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa for a package of high draft picks, as well as adding veteran support players like Garnet Hathaway, and Radko Gudas.
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Current Goalie Situation: Zirto appears to have charted his course for the immediate future between the pipes, opting not to bring back two-time Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky, obtaining Akira Schmid for a draft pick from Vegas, and dealing with New Jersey for veteran Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom had a subpar year with the Devils, while Schmid made the bulk of the starts (34) for Vegas.
Assets To Trade: Cap space and assets are what make a Hellebuyck deal to Florida unlikely, but Zito seems to defy the odds because of how attractive playing in no-state-tax Florida is. Schmid at 26, without any trade protection, would likely be part of any deal, since Markstrom has a 20-team no-trade list, but the Panthers are right up against the cap and would likely need to clear Markstrom’s $6 million cap hit.
Cheveldayoff would undoubtedly ask for young center Anton Lundell as part of any trade, but that seems to be where Zito hangs up the phone, since the 24-year-old is under contract for three years after next season at a $5 million AAV. 28-year-old Eetu Luostarinen has a no-movement clause that kicks in next July and just signed an eight-year, $40 million extension.
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