Avalanche linked to Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck by insider

The Colorado Avalanche have two extremely capable goaltenders on their roster, with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood comprising one of the NHL’s better tandems.

Would Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who has seen his name swirling in trade rumors for months, be any kind of upgrade? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned potential discussions between the two Central Division clubs regarding the former Hart Trophy winner.

“By the way, I had a couple of teams say to me they wondered if Colorado took a shot at Connor Hellebuyck,” the hockey insider said on the final episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast of the season.

“I don’t know how that could work, I don’t know what they would offer, and I’m not sure that Winnipeg would want to see that. But there were a couple of teams that were like, they kind of suspected that the Avalanche considered it.”

Friedman stopped short of reporting active trade talks, but his comments suggest some around the league believe Colorado at least explored the possibility. Hellebuyck played 57 games for Winnipeg this season, managing a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.

It’s been a busy offseason for Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, who watched executive Chris MacFarland depart for the Nashville Predators back in June. He then traded Ross Colton and Jack Drury to those same Preds, while shipping Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Is there a bigger deal coming in Denver? It would be difficult to make Hellebuyck’s $8.5 million cap hit work, as the Avs currently have only $400,000 to work with, per PuckPedia. That means Blackwood, who makes $5.25 million per season, would probably need to go back to Manitoba in any swap.

Colorado doesn’t have a ton of notable assets to trade, either, as they’re firmly in win-now mode and have already traded away a plethora of draft capital.

Still, adding Hellebuyck to an already formidable Avalanche roster could certainly elevate them to a new level in 2026-27 and beyond. The idea of Nathan MacKinnon up front, Cale Makar on the blue line and Hellebuyck between the pipes is a tantalizing prospect.

Winnipeg’s recent signing of Stuart Skinner at least gives the organization another NHL-caliber option if it ever decided to move Hellebuyck, although Skinner has never been viewed as a true replacement for one of the league’s best goaltenders.