Connor Hellebuyck spent the offseason drawing real interest on the trade market, with the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers both poking around on a possible deal, according to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
Friedman said Winnipeg’s preference would be to get a goalie back if it moved Hellebuyck, rather than chase future assets. That matters here because the Jets, in his view, do not want to deal their veteran netminder in a way that could push other established players toward asking out.
Hellebuyck’s value is still obvious on the resume. He’s a four-time all-star, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, and the 2024-25 league MVP.
He also carries an $8.5MM annual cap hit and is set to earn $59.5MM by the time he turns 38 in 2031. But the numbers from last season were not vintage Hellebuyck: a 2.86 goals-against average, a .895 save percentage, and a 23-23-11 record in 57 starts.
His save percentage was the worst of his 11-year NHL career, and after three straight seasons of 30-plus goals saved above expected, he finished 2025-26 at -0.3, his lowest mark in that category since 2016-17.
The Sabres angle got particularly interesting. Friedman had previously reported that Hellebuyck was willing to waive his no-movement clause for a move to Buffalo during the week of the 2026 NHL Draft. In that scenario, Buffalo would have planned to use Hellebuyck in tandem with Colten Ellis as the backup.
Winnipeg’s ask was steep. The Jets wanted the fourth-overall pick and hoped to keep the eighth-overall pick in the deal, while the Sabres were not interested in parting with top-10 draft capital without getting something back inside that range.
The Jets were also high on Viggo Björck before taking him eighth overall, but Friedman noted they likely would not have taken him at fourth with the top talent available there. He also said Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has the Jets on one of five teams in his modified no-trade list for the 2026-27 season, which makes the idea of getting a goalie back from Buffalo less appealing for Winnipeg.
Florida made a push too. Before eventually landing Jacob Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils, the Panthers checked in with Winnipeg because they feared Sergei Bobrovsky might leave in free agency. Their offer, according to Friedman, included Evan Rodrigues, the draft capital they later used in the Brady Tkachuk deal, and a roster player who was not Anton Lundell.
There was also another goaltender who might have been part of a Winnipeg trade package and had the Jets on his no-trade list.
And the goalie conversation wasn’t the only one involving the Jets. The Carolina Hurricanes, who are dealing with Alexander Nikishin’s trade request, could also enter the picture, and Friedman said Winnipeg would have already dealt for Nikishin if the choice were theirs. The sticking point is whether the Russian defenseman would sign after being moved to the Jets.
For now, these talks remain unresolved with training camp already underway. That usually works against big September movement, and as Friedman’s reporting underscores, the longer this drags on, the more the player’s say matters.
As Josh Cybulski noted, the NHL has not seen a truly major September trade in nearly a decade, with the last ones coming in 2018. With the season closing in, teams have less leverage and assets don’t carry quite the same shine.
A deal can still happen - but it does not have to.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face A Worrying Core Contract Problem
Contract chatter around core players has become a familiar headache across the league, and the latest round of it has touched several teams at once. Detroits internal debate over Dylan Larkin showed how hard it is for management to weigh present value against long-term stability, while Minnesotas Quinn Hughes has already been trying to keep extension talk from becoming a distraction. For Winnipeg, the discussion has centered on Connor Hellebuyck, whose trade request put the Jets in a delicate spot and raised questions about how front offices handle star players once the relationship starts to fray.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff moved quickly to shut down the idea that any soft understanding was in place with Hellebuyck, but the broader picture remains messy because the club has been exploring trade options since the request was made. That kind of unresolved business is exactly what makes the Blue Jackets situation worth watching, too, with Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko both sitting in a contract gray area of their own. When a teams best players are not firmly locked in, every conversation about the future starts to feel a little more urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Made Minnesotas Biggest Offseason Question Even Tougher
Quinn Hughes has only deepened the attention around Minnesotas offseason by saying he is in no rush to lock in a contract extension, even while acknowledging the pull of eventually playing alongside his brothers. For the Wild, that keeps the spotlight squarely on one of their biggest decisions, especially with reports already pointing to an eight-year offer that would set a new standard for the franchise.
The timing only adds to the intrigue across the league, with other major names making headlines as teams weigh their next moves. For Winnipeg, the bigger lesson is familiar: when high-end talent is involved, front offices tend to stay patient and measured, even as the market keeps shifting around them. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Have An Early Camp Test For A Contract Fans Still Question
Training camps always bring a little inventory report along with the optimism, and the Jets are no exception as they sort through the early health status of a few players. Around the league, clubs are getting encouraging signs from familiar names like Owen Tippett and Noah Cates in Philadelphia, while Pierre Engvall is back on the ice for the Islanders after last season was wiped out by hip and ankle surgeries. San Jose, meanwhile, is already dealing with a couple of sidelined skaters before the preseason grind really gets rolling.
For Winnipeg, the updates center on two players whose recoveries are still part of the early-season picture. Elias Salomonsson is working back from shoulder surgery, and Walker Duehr has only recently started skating again after his injury, leaving the club with a clearer sense of where both stand but not much certainty beyond that. It is the kind of camp detail that rarely grabs attention outside the room, yet it matters for a team trying to keep its depth chart intact as October approaches. [Read more 🡒]