Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request is now out in the open, and that changes the pressure points around Winnipeg in a hurry.
After months of buzz about his future, the Jets goalie made it public Thursday, with training camp closing in fast in mid-September. Winnipeg is only one season removed from winning the Presidents' Trophy, but it’s also a team caught between two realities: not really built for a full teardown, yet stuck with the kind of no-trade landscape that makes landing major talent difficult. Hellebuyck can shape the destination too, thanks to his full no-movement clause.
That makes any deal for arguably the NHL’s best goaltender a complicated, high-stakes puzzle. Winnipeg is expected to push for young, controllable players, the sort of pieces contenders usually hate parting with. With that in mind, here are five teams that make sense as landing spots.
The Buffalo Sabres look like the cleanest fit. They’re coming off a season in which they finally ended their playoff drought in impressive fashion, and if Hellebuyck wants to join a team on the rise, Buffalo could be appealing enough for him to waive his no-movement clause.
The Sabres already had respectable production in goal from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.910) and Alex Lyon (.907), but neither one locked down the job in the playoffs. Lyon had a strong first-round run before getting shelled versus the Montreal Canadiens, while Luukkonen managed only one quality start out of five chances.
Hellebuyck would give them certainty, even with his well-known playoff issues. He also delivered a superb performance in the Olympic gold-medal game in February.
Buffalo has the kind of trade inventory Winnipeg would want, including Ryan McLeod, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, and Jiri Kulich. The one possible snag is Luukkonen’s five-team no-trade list.
Carolina has already shown it’s willing to kick the tires. The Hurricanes reportedly offered Alexander Nikishin and a first-round pick for Hellebuyck in June, and the fit is obvious: they want more stability in goal after years of mixing and matching in the postseason and dealing with health concerns.
Frederik Andersen, who handled most of their Cup run, is gone in free agency, and Carolina is looking for a more certain answer in net. The Hurricanes also have plenty of draft capital, including all of their own picks plus Dallas’ 2028 first-rounder and 2027 third-rounder.
Nikishin is the key name here. He remains a restricted free agent deep into the offseason, and Winnipeg may or may not value him enough to make him the centerpiece.
If the Jets want a package built around future assets, Bradly Nadeau could become part of the conversation.
New Jersey is another team with a real path here. The Devils moved Jacob Markstrom before his extension even began and are headed into the season with Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich as their options.
Allen is useful, but Hellebuyck would be a massive upgrade. The bigger question is whether new general manager Sunny Mehta would be willing to spend heavily on a position that can be so volatile.
New Jersey’s draft stash could make that easier to stomach. The Devils have four first-round picks over the next two seasons - their own, plus Vegas’ in 2027 and Colorado’s in 2028, both acquired from the Calgary Flames for Simon Nemec this summer.
That kind of ammunition could give Mehta the confidence to make a bold move.
San Jose is the wild card. The Sharks may have the brightest future in the league thanks to a deep pool of elite young talent, and they’ve already spent aggressively in free agency as they push toward contention.
But their goaltending situation hasn’t fully settled. Yaroslav Askarov, whom they landed in 2024 for a first-round pick, had a disappointing first full NHL season, and the Sharks also have Joshua Ravensbergen in the system.
That gives them the ability to dangle a real package. The risk is obvious: general manager Mike Grier would be making another aggressive move for a 33-year-old goalie while the defense still looks dreadful on paper.
San Jose would need to believe Hellebuyck can make them contenders right away and stay at that level deep into his thirties.
Then there’s Vegas, which always seems to enter the conversation when a star hits the market. The Golden Knights are the kind of team that gets linked to just about every big name, and this would be a tough one to pull off.
They don’t have much asset flexibility, and Adin Hill and his $6.25-million cap hit through 2030-31 would almost certainly have to be part of the equation. Carter Hart was strong in the playoffs until the Stanley Cup Final, when he allowed four goals in each of the first five games against Carolina, and that may be on Kelly McCrimmon’s mind as he weighs whether an upgrade is worth the pain.
Vegas has the creativity to chase a deal this complicated, but it still feels like a long shot unless Hellebuyck decides that’s the only place he wants to go.
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Maple Leafs Are Now Part Of Winnipegs Biggest Goalie Debate
The Maple Leafs decision to bring in Sergei Bobrovsky on a three-year deal has only sharpened the conversation around goaltending across the league, and Winnipeg is part of that discussion because of Connor Hellebuycks place in the market. He remains one of the NHLs most recognizable starters, and any move involving him would naturally draw interest from a team trying to stabilize the position for the long haul.
What makes the topic even more intriguing is how much room there still is for interpretation on Torontos side. Theres no clear answer on whether the Leafs ever seriously engaged Winnipeg about a possible deal, which leaves plenty of speculation about how aggressive they were and what a trade might have meant for both clubs. For Jets fans, it is another reminder that their crease situation sits at the center of a larger league-wide debate. [Read more 🡒]
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Jets general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff has acknowledged Hellebuycks desire for a fresh start and said the organization is still working through the situation. There is no update yet, but the stakes are obvious: Hellebuyck remains under contract and has a full no-movement clause, while interest from Buffalo and other clubs suggests this is the kind of standoff that could linger before anyone knows how it ends. [Read more 🡒]
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Kehler is not new to the organization, and that history makes this a little more than a ceremonial move. For fans, it is the kind of behind-the-scenes storyline that is easy to keep an eye on all winter, especially with a hometown connection in the mix and a return to his coaching role still waiting after the season. [Read more 🡒]