The Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck still seem in a lot of ways like they’re heading for a separation.
Hellebuyck isn’t currently with his NHL team, and it’s been made clear he wants a trade. The Jets have been rumored in various reports for months as getting close to trading their Vezina-winning goalie.
The 2026-27 NHL season is underway, and a lot of teams are struggling in net, including some contenders that would definitely benefit from Hellebuyck.
All sorts of destinations have been rumored, including the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks.
But in the modern era of social media and trade rumors and reporting, it can be hard to know what to believe.
Just in the last few days, a number of posts on X (formerly Twitter) have been written as if Hellebuyck has officially been traded.
That doesn’t appear to be the case yet, though.
Did Connor Hellebuyck Get Traded?
As of 3 p.m. ET (12 noon Pacific) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Hellebuyck is still a member of the Winnipeg Jets. He has not been traded.
Any reports that you see on social media are either false, or somehow ahead of all the big-time insiders.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman hasn’t reported any trade yet.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan hasn’t reported any trade yet.
The teams, which are often the ones that announce deals themselves in the NHL, have made no such announcements yet.
Until there’s reporting from the top-notch insiders that suggests a trade of Hellebuyck is imminent, it’s fair to assume that what you’re seeing on social media isn’t real.
Of course, someone could actually have the scoop and be sharing it on a lesser-followed account. That has happened before. Not everyone with access to information is someone employed by a big media company.
It’s just too early to know whether to trust anything like that. So for now, Hellebuyck appears to still be a member of the Jets, even if he’s away from the team and not playing.
Sabres Connor Hellebuyck Trade Rumors
The Sabres seem to be the team most connected to Hellebuyck in these apparent fake trade reports.
They’ve got a variety of pieces involved depending on which suggestion you look at, including younger players like Jiri Kulich and Radim Mrtka as well as talented center Ryan McLeod.
Buffalo has a lot of surplus skating talent, particularly at forward, which could help facilitate a deal.
But until proven otherwise, or until a larger report or bigger announcement comes out, it’s hard to believe that any of the things currently circulating on social media about Hellebuyck being traded to Buffalo are quite true yet.
Did Connor Hellebuyck Get Traded? What to Know About Jets-to-Sabres Reports