Connor Hellebuyck made serious noise last week as he made his Winnipeg Jets trade request known to the public. The NHL world waits to see where Hellebuyck will land ahead of the 2026-2027 season, assuming that Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff pulls the trigger on a deal in the near future. These five teams could be the most viable Hellebuyck trade candidates via insiders Jeff Marek and David Pagnotta on The Sheet.
Five Teams Linked to Hellebuyck
Buffalo Sabres
Of the teams linked to Hellebuyck, the Buffalo Sabres have garnered the most traction. It is no secret that the team has high interest in acquiring Hellebuyck’s services. The biggest weakness of the squad is in net. They have had no issue scoring goals and the defense has been strong as well. The Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen and Alex Lyon tandem in net is decent, but does not move the needle for them in their quest to become Stanley Cup contenders. Hellebuyck would be the ideal addition for them; he looks like the missing puzzle piece the team needs towards taking that next step come playoff time.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils goaltending is a serious question mark heading into this upcoming season. This is a team that is looking to get back in the playoffs next year after dropping out of the race this past season. However, they lost their starting goalie Jacob Markstrom as he heads to the Florida Panthers. Jake Allen currently projects to be the team’s starter with Nico Daws backing him up. That is not exactly a rotation that strikes fear into the opposition. Hellebuyck would provide much needed stability in net for a team looking to return to contention status.
Carolina Hurricanes
If there’s one questionable area regarding the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the goaltending does pose some concern. Longtime starter Freddie Anderson heads off to the Edmonton Oilers. Brandon Bussi stepped up in a big way, especially in the Stanley Cup finals, last season. But can he do it again? Can Pyotr Kochetkov finally step up in the backup role? There are a couple questions there, Hellebuyck would add certainty. With that core in front of him, Hellebuyck could be scary on this team.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a rebuilding team that is approaching this oncoming campaign with optimism. With Macklin Celebrini and a talented young group built around him, scoring goals won’t be a problem. The concern for this club is keeping pucks out of the net. General manager Mike Grier opened up the checkbook this summer when it came to upgrading the blueline. The goaltending is an unknown; the hope is Yaroslav Askarov takes a major step. The addition of Hellebuyck would almost certainly make this a playoff team, if it is not already.
Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth are another promising team looking to keep progressing forward this season. The goaltending is the main perceived problem area; Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa is a solid, but unspectacular duo in net. Hellebuyck could be the piece that takes this group to the next level.
Top 5 Trade Candidates for Connor Hellebuyck