It’s now painfully obvious that Connor Hellebuyck won’t finish his career in Winnipeg. The likely future Hall of Fame goaltender has a full No Movement Clause in his contract, but that won’t stop a Connor Hellebuyck trade from coming to fruition. In fact, multiple teams likely can begin looking at trade packages. As Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic notes, the Jets netminder has shown greater willingness to waive his trade protection than other notable trade-minded stars.
There are other factors, however, that will slow it down. According to Johnston, return is the primary factor. There’s likely another one hidden and lurking. Preventing a Connor Hellebuyck trade from coming to fruition is the state of the Jets both on and off the ice.
One key difference with the Connor Hellebuyck trade request compared to others around the NHL is that he’s willing to waive his NMC for a variety of teams.
The offers haven’t been to Winnipeg’s liking just yet, obviously, but they’re not totally handcuffed.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) August 28, 2026
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This isn’t just about winning the trade on value. Winnipeg has to figure out how far back a Hellebuyck trade will set them.
Superstar Trades are Rarely Black and White
At the time, Buffalo Sabres ownership reportedly had no interest in sending Eichel to the New York Rangers. The Sabres intended to basically charge the Rangers extra for Eichel, seemingly concerned about the optics of the franchise player winning with the ‘big brother’ of the tri-state area.
Now, the factors at play here are slightly different. First, the Jets are not in a clear-cut rebuild like Buffalo was at the time. Second, Winnipeg isn’t purely worried about the optics. That’s the critical point here. The Jets need to win this trade because the future of pro hockey in Winnipeg is riding on it. In the past few years, the Jets’ ownership structure has publicly acknowledged some concerns. The Athletic reported in 2024 that the Jets were ‘sounding the alarm’ on their attendance concerns.
A Connor Hellebuyck Trade Is Not Black and White
Surprisingly, those concerns emerged in the midst of a 110-point season. The next season, the Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy in a 116-point season in 2025-26. They also won a playoff round, though Jets fans likely imagined they’d have advanced deeper that year. It’s not clear if that fully allayed ownership’s concerns. Still, the Jets did see a year-over-year boost in tickets reported in 2025.
Then last year happened, and the Jets collapsed. For the second time in five seasons, the Jets were basically non-competitive following multiple playoff berths. This failure was even more alarming, considering the 34-point year-over-year drop for a franchise that already has the second-smallest capacity of any NHL arena. That failure, which saw the Jets struggle almost everywhere, has directly led to a potential Connor Hellebuyck trade.
So now the Jets have to ask a simple question: can they take the best deal available? Conversely, is it more important to get Hellebuyck out of the Western Conference so they don’t have to directly compete against him? This is less about optics and more about something hockey fans might have some sympathy for — figuring out how to compete for a playoff spot while simultaneously making the team worse and a Western Conference foe better.
The Case for a Connor Hellebuyck Trade to the Eastern Conference
Carolina, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Washington, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto all have good reasons to explore a Connor Hellebuyck trade. That doesn’t mean that all of them could pull off a potential deal. Toronto, Ottawa and Florida all recently committed to big-money goaltenders. The former two would likely want to move their respective netminders. Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Linus Ullmark have full No Movement Clauses. Florida has more flexibility, but the Panthers have few assets remaining to win a bidding war.
Montreal, Detroit and Buffalo all have good reason to get interested. These are teams with big prospect pipelines and the ability to send a goalie back the other way in a potential trade. While the Habs just committed to a Jakub Dobes contract extension, it has not kicked in yet. They could pair Hellebuyck with Jacob Fowler, one of the best goaltending prospects on the planet. Detroit could also have interest if such a move could be used to convince Dylan Larkin to rescind his trade request. The Sabres’ interest is obvious, particularly after poor goaltending ended their first playoff run in 15 years.
The Metropolitan Division is murkier. Washington, clearly all-in on their own last dance with Alex Ovechkin, could be enticed to get involved. It would be complicated with the Capitals’ salary cap situation. Carolina let Freddie Andersen walk, but it’s hard to know if they’d increase their offer from earlier this summer. New Jersey’s three-goalie tandem doesn’t look ideal. However, there would be numerous other factors at play for New Jersey, including the status of Quinn Hughes. Kyle Dubas appears interested in bringing a big star to Pittsburgh. That said, Hellebuyck, 33, might be a little on the older side for them.
The Case for the Western Conference
If there’s enough interest out east, this won’t matter. Still, it’s plausible that no one in the Eastern Conference might step up for a Connor Hellebuyck trade. In the meantime, the list of suitors out west could include everyone but Vancouver, Calgary, Nashville and Dallas. Now, that doesn’t mean they can all do it. For some teams, the interest is likely going to be soft. St. Louis might inquire about the price, but Joel Hofer might be a potential rising star. As a result, the Blues wouldn’t be motivated. Anaheim, similarly, isn’t likely to be very motivated, particularly while the cap situation there is a problem.
Colorado could build a trade around Mackenzie Blackwood but not much else. Similarly, Minnesota is already asset-depleted following the Quinn Hughes trade. Sure, they could build something around one of their two goaltenders, but it likely won’t be enough. Los Angeles, Edmonton and Vegas are likely all interested and motivated. None of them likely have the goods to make such a move.
Chicago, Utah, San Jose and Seattle are likely the four best fits. Two of those teams will play Winnipeg four times per season, and the other two will play them three times per season. The Jets would directly compete for a playoff spot against Utah and Chicago in the Central, while simultaneously looking at wildcard spots against the other two.
Hellebuyck Must Go East
The Jets are not rebuilding. It’s not clear, even if ownership were to sign off on a rebuild, that it would be their best path forward. The Central Division is difficult, certainly. Still, there’s volatility in Minnesota as long as the Quinn Hughes situation lingers. Utah looks poised to take a big step and join the division’s big boys like Colorado and Dallas. Admittedly, those two might both have taken a step back this offseason. St. Louis has potential. However, the Blues have lacked consistency.
That does leave a path for Winnipeg to at least be competitive in the division, ideally still able to draw fans in as a result. Unless interest in the Eastern Conference collapses, it’s clear the Jets must complete a Connor Hellebuyck trade with a team that won’t keep them out of a potential playoff competition next season.
Winnipeg Jets Must Consider Major Factor in Connor Hellebuyck Trade