Connor Hellebuyck wanted to go to the Florida Panthers. That’s what was reported and rumored and speculated.
But the Winnipeg Jets haven’t traded their superstar goalie to Florida. In fact, they haven’t yet traded him anywhere as the opening night of the 2026-27 NHL season arrives on Tuesday.
It’s now officially an awkward situation hanging over the season in Winnipeg.
That’s at least in part because, although Hellebuyck wanted Florida, it appears the Panthers never made a good enough offer.
They did make an offer, though, which Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke down in his new 32 Thoughts column.
Panthers Trade Offer for Connor Hellebuyck
This is what Friedman wrote about Florida’s offer for Hellebuyck:
“Initially, his target was Florida, but the Jets weren’t crazy about the Panthers’ offer — which included Evan Rodrigues, another roster player (possibly Eetu Luostarinen) and the draft-pick package sent to Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk.”
That draft-pick package mentioned was three first-round picks and a second-round pick.
It certainly wasn’t a soft offer, but the Jets probably are viewing this as a situation where they’d like to get a high-level current NHL player back, too, someone better than Rodrigues — who is solid but not spectacular.
Hellebuyck has been the best goalie in the world for much of his career. It makes sense that Florida would want him. It also makes sense that the Jets wouldn’t be in a rush to trade him for anything less than supreme value.
Bad Vibes in Winnipeg
With the season now officially here, everything is going to get a little more uncomfortable for the Jets and for Hellebuyck.
“Hellebuyck badly wants this to end,” Friedman writes. “Players want to play, and this time of year your body clock is telling you to ‘get off the couch.'”
The Jets, though, as mentioned above — they can’t get this wrong.
“The biggest challenge for Hellebuyck is that this trade is bigger than him, personally,” Friedman writes. “For the Jets, it’s existential. They have to get this right. If they don’t, they worry about the domino effect. Hellebuyck now… and then who? How many? They’d much, much, much rather make no trade than a bad trade. Everyone here is trying their best to be nice, but it’s stressful.”
Friedman also included his column that the Buffalo Sabres were the closest to getting a deal done, but that didn’t happen.
And now the Sabres’ goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, can reject a trade to Winnipeg, which would make aligning on a package with Buffalo that much tougher.
Trades can develop quickly, but it’s hard at the moment to see the end of the tunnel for this Hellebuyck saga in Winnipeg.
We Know Panthers’ Trade Offer for Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck