Connor Hellebuyck Requests Trade From Jets

Regardless of how the situation unfolds, arguably the league’s top netminder is fully on the market. Back in July, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that the Jets had trade conversations with the Buffalo Sabres regarding Hellebuyck, and that Hellebuyck was willing to waive his no-movement clause to join the Sabres. However, that trade never crossed the finish line. Outside of Buffalo, the Carolina Hurricanes were the only other team firmly connected to Hellebuyck this offseason.

It’s safe to say that Hellebuyck’s resume speaks for itself. Becoming the full-time starter in Winnipeg for the 2016-17 season, Hellebuyck has been nearly unbeatable for the last decade. From the beginning of his sophomore season, Hellebuyck has a 332-197-54 record in 599 games with a .916 SV% and 2.59 GAA, including 43 shutouts. Additionally, he’s captured the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder three times in that stretch.

Still, one concern about Hellebuyck’s legacy was his postseason performance. Earlier in his career, he performed quite well, taking the Jets to the Western Conference Final in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, his last three postseason trips have been subpar, to say the least. Since the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hellebuyck has managed an 8-15-0 record in 23 games with a .870 SV%, 3.60 GAA, and -19.7 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA).

Nevertheless, Hellebuyck not only proved to the NHL but also to the rest of the world that he could dominate in the sport’s brightest moments. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Hellebuyck backstopped Team USA to the Gold medal after going 5-0-0 with a ridiculous .956 SV% and 1.18 GAA.

Additionally, his contract makes him even more appealing. Hellebuyck is signed through the 2030-31 season at an $8.5MM salary. He will retain his no-movement clause until next season, but it will transition to a 10-team trade list ahead of the 2027-28 campaign. Despite signing his extension later, Hellebuyck is making $1MM less than Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is signed for five more years to Vasilevskiy’s two, with the salary cap’s upper limit growing exponentially.

As the public has seen from Dylan Larkin‘s trade request from the Detroit Red Wings, Hellebuyck requesting a trade today doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be traded before the start of the season. Like Larkin, Hellebuyck can control his future via trade protection, but he remains contractually committed to the Jets for five more years. As much as it would pain Winnipeg to suspend him without pay, it sure beats giving up arguably the greatest player in franchise history for pennies on the dollar.