Winnipeg’s first day of training camp should have been about the players who actually showed up. Instead, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff found himself answering for the one who didn’t: Connor Hellebuyck.
The goaltender has publicly asked for a trade, stayed away from camp, and been suspended by the club for breach of contract. The Jets announced Thursday that Hellebuyck was suspended for failing to report to training camp, and the move means he will not be paid any of the $8.5 million he was owed this season once the regular season starts, nor will the salary count against the cap.
“There’s probably lots of whys and unfortunately this situation is what it is,” Cheveldayoff said Thursday morning from Hockey For All Centre. “Just looking to find a resolution that works for both sides, but certainly for the players and fans of the Winnipeg Jets.”
Cheveldayoff made clear he isn’t spending much time on Hellebuyck’s reasons for walking away from camp. He said the club has to deal with the reality in front of it.
“In my mind, it’s irrelevant,” he said of Hellebuyck’s reasons for not reporting. “In my mind, I have to deal with the situation that’s in front of me. Connor’s made the choices and we’ll just deal with them moving forward.”
He added that the organization has already been working the phones for some time.
“We’ve been looking for trying to make a trade that works for both sides for a long period of time here now. We’ll continue to do that and absent of that, we’ll see how things unfold.”
Cheveldayoff also pushed back on the idea that Hellebuyck had some kind of handshake understanding with the team when he signed his seven-year extension in 2023. Hellebuyck had said at the time he was “ready to be a Jet for life and bring a Cup to this city” and believed “we can get it done here.”
“A contract is a contract in the National Hockey League, period,” Cheveldayoff said. “There are no side agreements, there’s no gentlemen’s agreements.
The league doesn’t allow for that. Any notion around that would not have any merit.”
He also said he’s not chasing “future assets” just to make a deal happen. If Hellebuyck is moved, the return has to make sense for Winnipeg.
That’s where the challenge comes in. Hellebuyck has five years left on his deal, and despite the public trade request, he has no real leverage.
Any move will happen on the Jets’ terms, not his, and only when Cheveldayoff believes the offer reflects the value of a goalie with three Vezina Trophies, two William M. Jennings Trophies, and a Hart Trophy.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported recently that the offers Cheveldayoff has received have been “terrible,” though the GM said that word was too much.
Still, he didn’t exactly paint a rosy picture of the market.
“What we have to understand here is we’re talking about moving Connor Hellebuyck…a player that has been very important to this franchise and is a very good player in the National Hockey League. We expect that a level of return would be commensurate to that.”
“There’s been nothing that has allowed us to say ‘ok, this works for both parties, both teams.'”
Cheveldayoff said he isn’t working against a deadline and won’t force a deal just to close the story.
“My obligation is to the Winnipeg Jets, the Winnipeg Jets players, and Winnipeg Jets fans,” he said. “For me, I just want to get this right.”
He doubled down on that later, saying emotion can’t drive the process.
“I have to try and keep a level head,” he added later. “I cant let emotion come into play in any regard.
It’s about trying to find something that can push this organization forward and obviously in a different fashion with a different player or players… it can’t get emotional, it can’t get personal. Connor Hellebuyck’s part of our family until he’s not part of our family.
You don’t just say that. You have to believe it.”
For now, the door remains open, at least in Cheveldayoff’s view.
Asked whether Hellebuyck will ever play another game for the Jets, he said “no doors are closed.”
“In my estimation, he’s a player that’s under contract and he’s a player that’s under contract for five years. At the end of the day, that will be his choice.”
The trade demand has also thrown the Jets’ goaltending picture into flux, with several possible paths from here. If Hellebuyck is dealt before the regular season, the team will move ahead with offseason signing Stuart Skinner as the starter. If the return includes an NHL-calibre goalie, that player would likely split time with Skinner.
If Hellebuyck remains on the roster when the regular season begins, or if the Jets acquire a goalie as part of the return, Winnipeg could turn to Domenic DiVincentiis or Thomas Milic as the backup, make a separate trade for another goalie, or claim one off waivers.
The Jets open their four-game preseason schedule Saturday in Edmonton against the Oilers.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Still Puts The Jets In A Tough Spot
Connor Hellebuyck is still a Winnipeg Jet, even after his trade request was confirmed by his agent, and the situation has left the club in an awkward holding pattern as the offseason drags on. Interest has surfaced from teams including Buffalo and Carolina, but so far nothing has moved close enough to force Winnipegs hand, and the Jets have made it clear they are not looking to move a top goalie for pennies on the dollar.
For now, the whole picture is tied to training camp, where the next shift in leverage could determine whether this turns into a real trade discussion or simply lingers as an unresolved distraction. Winnipeg knows the stakes here are higher than just one roster spot, because a move of this magnitude would reshape the clubs outlook in a hurry, and the front office appears content to wait rather than settle. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Big Hellebuyck Question As Trade Talk Lingers
Trade chatter around Connor Hellebuyck has kept Winnipeg in the middle of one of the leagues most closely watched goalie stories, with the Jets fielding inquiries but not finding a package that meets their price. The holding pattern has left interested clubs watching the situation from a distance, while teams such as Buffalo, Carolina, San Jose and Edmonton remain among those tied to the conversation.
For the Jets, the real issue is less about whether there is interest and more about whether any of it turns into an offer worth moving a franchise goalie for. The longer the stalemate lasts, the more pressure shifts onto both sides, especially with other camps still taking shape and the market waiting to see if Winnipeg relents or if a suitor finally steps forward with something more compelling. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Still Havent Closed The Door On Connor Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuycks future in Winnipeg remains unsettled, but the Jets are not treating it like a decision that has to be forced right away. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the club is still working through the situation surrounding the suspended goaltender, who did not report to training camp, and stressed that any move would have to make sense for both sides.
Cheveldayoff also made it clear the door has not been shut on a return to Winnipeg, even after Hellebuyck asked for a trade in the teams exit meetings following the 2025-26 season. With no timeline for a deal and the goalie still under contract for five more years, the Jets appear willing to let this play out rather than rush into the wrong answer. [Read more 🡒]