It’s happening.
That’s the mood on Friday morning as reports swirl that a Connor Hellebuyck trade from the Winnipeg Jets is imminent.
After a summer of waiting that carried into the 2026-27 NHL season, a deal might finally be here.
Multiple insiders have shared reports suggesting the trade has arrived.
Okay, twist in the plot. Connor Hellebuyck trade talks are escalating it could go down today. Busy day developing. Stay tuned.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 23, 2026
The Hellebuyck saga is coming to an end
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 23, 2026
The odd part, though, is that nothing has been said about who the team is yet.
Who’s Getting Connor Hellebuyck?
This is the detail that hasn’t been shared yet. No one has publicized what team is getting Hellebuyck.
Maybe that’ll come out in a few minutes. Maybe it’ll take a few hours.
It’s not totally clear what the delay on this information would be, either.
A similar situation happened in the NFL a few weeks ago when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Marvin Harrison Jr. was being traded by the Arizona Cardinals — but it took two days for it to be firmed up publicly that he was going to the Houston Texans.
That had to do with the deal waiting for that week’s games to happen before being completed. There isn’t a similar kind of timeline in the NHL.
The team that is getting Hellebuyck would want him immediately, and the Jets have no real reason to hold onto him longer than necessary.
It’s possible that those connected to the Jets have let the insiders know the deal is here without more details. Or maybe there are still some final things being worked out. There could even be a last-minute bidding war.
Hopefully it becomes clearer soon.
UPDATE: The latest news from Elliotte Friedman suggests the New Jersey Devils are the team getting Hellebuyck.
Sources: New Jersey and Winnipeg are working on a Connor Hellebuyck deal.
We will see what develops.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 23, 2026
Rumored Teams
This has felt like a three-team race for a while between the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth.
The noise in recent days included less about the Mammoth, although that could just be because they have less of a national media base focused on them.
All three teams are contenders. All three teams need goalies.
Most likely, Hellebuyck is going to one of them. It’s just not clear yet which one.
And hey, the craziest finish to this saga would be if there was a mystery team that swooped in at the last minute. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Who’s Getting Connor Hellebuyck? Jets Trade News Impacts Hurricanes, Sabres