Connor Hellebuyck is still a Jet for now, but the trade chatter around him hasn’t cooled one bit as NHL camps approach.
On Thursday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman said Winnipeg was “hopeful” Hellebuyck would change his mind before the 2026-27 season, but Friedman didn’t sound like he was buying that scenario. “I don't think that's possible. At all.”
He also laid out the teams still circling, with Buffalo at the front of the line.
“So, I think Buffalo's still around it," he said. "I think Utah's still around it.
I think Carolina's still around it. I've had very mixed messaging on New Jersey.
For a time, I heard they weren't interested. I know some people think they are.
I always assume there's people out there I haven't uncovered yet."
Friedman added that Hellebuyck’s preferred destination list is “much, much wider” than the tighter trade requests some other NHL players have made lately.
The 33-year-old Michigan native has plenty of cachet behind the request. He won Olympic gold with Sabres star Tage Thompson at the 2026 Winter Games and is widely viewed as one of the most accomplished goalies of his era.
But the timing is awkward for Winnipeg. Hellebuyck is coming off the worst season of his career, finishing 2025-26 with a .895 save percentage in 57 games.
That has only intensified concern that decline may be creeping in. Add in the $8.5 million salary that runs through 2031 and the public trade request, and the Jets are working from a position that doesn’t exactly scream leverage.
There’s also no sign that reconciliation is on the table, and Hellebuyck hasn’t said whether he would even show up to camp if nothing gets done.
Buffalo’s involvement has been a constant in the rumor mill, but the pieces around a possible deal have shifted since the 2026 NHL Draft in late June. At that time, there was speculation Winnipeg wanted the No. 4 overall pick from the Sabres as part of the return. Buffalo held firm and used that pick on defenseman Daxon Rudolph.
Then came July 1, when two names often floated in trade talk - center Josh Norris and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - picked up new no-trade protections. That complicates things for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen.
Winnipeg also started from a huge ask. Reports indicated the Jets initially asked for rising Sabres winger Zach Benson in talks with Buffalo. That kind of price has become unrealistic, and with the season closing in, the demands would have to come down before anything can happen.
Buffalo still has possible trade pieces in center Ryan McLeod, winger Jack Quinn, prospect Radim Mrtka and its 2027 first-round pick. None of those are top-tier assets on their own, though Mrtka brings real upside if his offense develops. And if UPL is willing to waive his no-trade clause for Winnipeg, that could help build something sturdier.
The fit has made sense all summer. The Sabres have extra top-nine forwards and goalies, and Hellebuyck would get the chance to chase a Stanley Cup for the rest of his career.
What’s kept the deal from happening isn’t obvious. Maybe Buffalo’s interest has been overstated. Maybe Winnipeg is determined to hold the line until it gets the kind of return it wants, even if Hellebuyck stays away from camp.
Either way, the clock is ticking. If this is going to get resolved, it probably has to happen soon - and the list of possible landing spots still includes the Sabres, Mammoth, Hurricanes, Devils and maybe a sleeper team no one has fully uncovered yet.
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