The Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter has become one of the defining stories of the offseason, and the latest reporting only adds to the sense that a deal is coming. The question is less whether Winnipeg will move him and more when it happens - and where he ends up.
Winnipeg Free Press reporter Mike McIntyre put the odds bluntly in a recent newsletter: "I firmly believe Connor Hellebuyck is going to be traded. In fact, I’d put the odds somewhere north of 95 per cent. I just don’t know exactly when, or to whom."
That lines up with how the noise around the situation has grown since the NHL Draft. The Jets’ decision to sign Stuart Skinner in free agency to replace Eric Comrie, who then signed with the San Jose Sharks, is one of the clearest signs that a move has been building. McIntyre also pointed out that all three goalies involved share the same agent, Ray Petkau, which matters because Petkau likely would not have allowed Skinner to land in Winnipeg if Hellebuyck were expected to be there next season.
For now, the Buffalo Sabres still look like the most natural fit. McIntyre called them the "most logical landing spot," even while acknowledging the Sharks as another possible destination.
San Jose makes some sense on paper because Hellebuyck and Comrie have worked well together in Winnipeg, and that pairing could be recreated there. The Sharks also have a clear need in goal, with Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov the only other netminders under contract.
Still, Buffalo may be the team that can give Winnipeg the stronger return. The Sabres have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who could be part of the goaltending picture with Skinner, and they also have forwards who could interest the Jets, including Josh Norris and Jack Quinn.
The holdup so far has been draft-pick value. Winnipeg wanted the fourth overall pick heading into the NHL Draft, while Buffalo was reportedly willing to move it only if the eighth overall pick came back in the deal. The Jets weren’t interested in that structure, and nothing got done.
Hellebuyck’s no-trade clause gives him the final say, and that keeps him in the middle of everything. He reportedly already agreed to waive it for Buffalo, but it remains unclear whether he would do the same for San Jose. With Comrie there, that possibility may be more realistic, but it is still unresolved.
So the situation remains exactly where it has been for weeks: a trade feels close, the Sabres still make the most sense, and Winnipeg appears to be the side under pressure to make the next move.
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