The Winnipeg Jets have added goaltender Clay Stevenson off waivers from the Washington Capitals, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
It’s a move that plugs an obvious hole for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck has requested to be traded and did not report to training camp, leaving the Jets without a settled backup plan behind Stuart Skinner. By bringing in Stevenson, Winnipeg avoids having to lean on prospect goalies Tomas Milic or Dom DiVincentiis in the NHL.
That matters for the bigger picture, too. Milic and DiVincentiis can keep developing with the Manitoba Moose, while Stevenson and Skinner handle the NHL workload during Hellebuyck’s absence.
Stevenson, 27, arrives as a much more established option than the alternatives. The 6’4″ Alberta native has spent years climbing through the Capitals system after going undrafted out of the BCHL, then playing one season of college hockey at Dartmouth before turning pro.
His path started in the ECHL, where he posted a .916 save percentage in 36 games as a rookie. That earned him a shot in the AHL, and he delivered again with a .922 save percentage in 36 games for the Hershey Bears. He also picked up a Calder Cup championship that season.
The following year was a dip, but Stevenson responded in 2025-26 with another strong showing. In 37 games for Hershey, he went 18-13-3 with a .912 save percentage.
Across his NHL career, Stevenson has appeared in five games and carries a .906 save percentage. He is owed an $850K NHL salary for the rest of the season and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Because he is on a one-way contract, the Jets wouldn’t save money by assigning him to the AHL.
For Washington, the loss is a setback, even if it was always a possibility once Stevenson became waiver eligible. He wasn’t going to bump Logan Thompson or Charlie Lindgren on the depth chart, and the Capitals appeared ready for that outcome by keeping several goaltenders on AHL deals in Hershey.
One name to watch now is Cal Petersen, who was in Capitals camp on a PTO and looks like a strong candidate to land a full contract after Stevenson’s departure.
In Other News...
Ovechkin Faces A Huge Capitals Question Entering This Season
Alex Ovechkin is headed into the 2026-27 season with the same familiar burden and allure that have followed him for years: he is still the face of the Capitals, still producing goals at an elite level, and still chasing history with 929 regular-season goals to his name. After recently signing a one-year extension, he remains central to Washingtons plans, even as the conversation around him has shifted from whether he can score to how carefully the team can manage his usage.
Analysts still see him landing in the neighborhood of 30 goals this season, a reminder that the endgame may be closer but is not yet here. For the Capitals, the real question is how much to lean on a veteran captain whose value goes far beyond the box score, especially with age, team depth and playing-time management all part of the equation as they try to squeeze every last bit out of one more Ovechkin season. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Just Lost Goalie Depth At The Worst Time
Washingtons goaltending depth took a hit when Clay Stevenson was moved out of the organization after splitting parts of last season between the Capitals and the Hershey Bears. The 25-year-old had been part of the clubs pipeline, working between the NHL and AHL as an option the team could lean on if injuries or workload issues ever forced a shuffle in net.
Now that Stevenson is gone, the Capitals have a little less margin behind their top options at a time when every layer of depth matters. He has one year left on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, which means Washington did not just lose a goalie for the moment, it also lost a possible piece of its longer-term picture. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Opening Night Roster Brings One Early Blue-Line Concern
The Capitals have their 23-man opening night roster set for the 2026-27 season, and the list gives the club its first real bit of blue-line concern before the schedule even starts. Washington will open against the Carolina Hurricanes with captain Alex Ovechkin leading the way, while the roster also includes Tom Wilson in a leadership role and leaves the rest of the alternate captain spots to be filled later.
Rasmus Sandin is the notable absence on defense, with the young blue-liner designated injured non-roster as he continues recovering from ACL surgery in April. For a team trying to settle its defense corps right out of the gate, that leaves an early opening to monitor closely, especially with the regular season arriving before the roster picture has fully stabilized. [Read more 🡒]