The Los Angeles Kings have at least checked the market on Connor Hellebuyck, and the early read is that Winnipeg isn’t making this easy.
According to Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli, Kings GM Ken Holland has gotten far enough along to understand what it would take to pull the three-time Vezina Trophy winner out of Winnipeg. Seravalli also reports that the Kings have been told Hellebuyck would accept a move to Los Angeles.
That doesn’t mean a deal is close. It does, however, make this one of the more intriguing goalie situations around the league, especially because there hasn’t been any other recent trade chatter involving Hellebuyck.
For the Kings, the real question is whether the fit makes sense if their season keeps wobbling. Seravalli notes that if the slow start continues to snowball, it would be difficult to justify moving a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick, even with lottery protection. That’s the kind of price a team has to think twice about when it isn’t even sure it’s a playoff team.
And that’s where the awkward part begins. A roster already built on age would only get older with Hellebuyck, who is 33 and under contract through 2031. If Los Angeles is still sitting outside the playoff picture, adding an elite goalie doesn’t automatically solve the larger problem.
The Kings have had a rough opening stretch for a few different reasons. They’ve run into tough opponents, they own the league’s worst combined special teams, and they’ll be without Kevin Fiala and Mats Zuccarello for several more weeks.
Between the posts, things haven’t held up either. Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg have combined for an .848 save percentage over the first two weeks.
Winnipeg has its own wrinkle to manage. Seravalli says the Jets are considering the possibility of a messy scenario if Hellebuyck were to say he wants to come back. The CBA gives them tools to keep him away, including conditioning stints or suspensions for violating team rules, but contractually he still has the right to report and play.
That raises the possibility of leverage from Hellebuyck’s side if he knows Winnipeg doesn’t want him back. Seravalli also laid out the other side of the argument, writing, “Maybe Hellebuyck is exactly what the Kings need - an elite backstop with five years remaining on his deal, enough to be the connective backbone between a potential playoff team now and the youth movement pending.”
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Buzz Just Got Real For The Jets
The conversation around Connor Hellebuyck suddenly feels a lot less hypothetical. According to Sportsnets Frank Seravalli, the Los Angeles Kings have reached out to the Jets to inquire about the reigning Winnipeg cornerstone in net, and the early contact is already enough to put the story on the radar around the league. No specific players or offers have changed hands yet, but Kings general manager Ken Holland has been informed of Winnipegs asking price, and that Hellebuyck would be willing to accept a move to Los Angeles.
For Winnipeg, any serious interest in a franchise goaltender immediately raises the stakes, especially with a team trying to balance present expectations against a market that does not often see a name like this come up. The Kings need is easy to understand, given their uneven play in goal and an aging roster that makes a big swing more complicated, but this is still the kind of discussion that can stall quickly if the price climbs too high. For now, the real story is not whether the Jets are shopping Hellebuyck, but how far Los Angeles is willing to push to make the idea more than just due diligence. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Head Into Chicago Waiting On One Crucial Lineup Decision
The Jets left Winnipeg after an optional practice with Josh Morrissey still listed day-to-day, leaving his status for the upcoming game against the Blackhawks uncertain. It is the kind of late-week question that can shape everything from the opening pairings to the overall tempo, especially with a Central Division matchup on deck and projected lineups already being pieced together on both sides.
Chicago, meanwhile, has found a bit more life since captain Connor Bedard returned, adding another layer of difficulty to a meeting that already carries a little extra weight. Winnipeg still has final roster and availability decisions to sort through before puck drop, so the most important update may not come until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Rosn May Be Closing In On A Breakthrough Winnipeg Can Use
Isak Rosn has been bouncing around the Jets lineup early in the season, but the movement has come with signs of progress. He has already skated alongside Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo, a look that has given Winnipeg a different kind of energy, and Rosn has said he feels his game is moving forward as he leans more on his skating and looks to shoot more often.
The encouraging part for the Jets is that the line has started to create positive scoring chances in recent games, which is exactly the sort of small offensive spark a team can use while sorting out its combinations. Rosn believes a goal is coming if he keeps playing the way he has, and Winnipeg will be watching closely to see whether that potential turns into a useful breakthrough sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]