Connor Hellebuyck drama with Jets is about to get ugly

The soap opera between the Winnipeg Jets and starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck could be taking another dramatic turn later this week.

According to a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Saturday, Hellebuyck's suspension from the Jets is expected to end on Friday, which would open the door for him to return to the team.

But that is not a situation that anybody really wants, and it could be a power move by Hellebuyck to try to get what he ultimately wants — a trade out of Winnipeg.

Connor Hellebuyck's suspension will reportedly end this week

The Jets suspended Hellebuyck at the start of training camp when he declined to report following an offseason trade request.

More than a month later, no trade has been made, while Winnipeg management continues to insist that it will not do so until it gets a return that makes sense for the team.

But not the pressure might be building with this latest news.

The most relevant passage from Friedman's report:

"According to multiple sources, Hellebuyck informed the Jets before their first game of the season (Oct. 2) of his intention to end his absence and report to the team. Since he did not have permission from the organization to stay away from training camp, Winnipeg had some additional power under the CBA.

"Specifically, Article 15.13, subsection (c)(v), which reads: 'If a Player who has not received permission to be absent from Training Camp returns to the Club, he shall be subject to a disciplinary suspension of reasonable length.'

"The word 'reasonable' is doing some heavy lifting here, but, according to those same sources, the end date for this suspension is Friday, Oct. 23. At that time, Hellebuyck would be able to rejoin the team. One possibility: the Jets pay him to stay at home."

At this point, any amicable return to Winnipeg seems like it would be a near impossibility. The fans have already turned on him and made Stuart Skinner (Hellebuyck's replacement) a new favorite. The locker room seems to be over the entire situation, while Hellebuyck himself has already made his stance clear by going public with his request. 

He seemed done with the organization immediately after the 2025-26 season ended, and nothing that transpired over the offseason seemed to change his mind on that.

That leaves everybody in the current situation.

At the moment, Hellebuyck is not getting paid as part of his suspension. 

Even if he doesn't want to play for Winnipeg any longer, his desire to "return" to the team could be a way of forcing the hands of management to deal with the situation and get more aggressive in finding a trade, or even accepting a trade just to remove the potential headache.

The only other option would be, as Friedman pointed out, lifting the suspension and paying Hellebuyck to stay away until a trade gets made.

Hellebuyck has been one of the NHL's best goalies for a decade now, and with three Vezina Trophies and an Olympic gold medal, he is the most decorated American-born goalie ever. He is a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. The only thing his career is missing at this point is a Stanley Cup, and that would seem to be one of the driving forces behind wanting a fresh start and a trade. 

Hellebuyck is one of several players from the 2026 U.S. Olympic team who have requested trades since the start of the offseason.

Forward Brady Tkachuk successfully worked a trade from the Ottawa Senators to Florida Panthers to join his brother, Matthew Tkachuk.

Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin also requested a traded, but none has been completed yet. He is still playing for the team but was stripped of his captaincy and there is no word on whether his trade request still remains. 

Hellebuyck is in the third-year of a seven-year contract that pays him $8.5 million per season. He has no-trade protections that give him the power to dictate where he goes, but he has said to be flexible on that to help complete a trade. The Buffalo Sabres, Utah Mammoth, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils all figure to be teams with the most interest and biggest need for him.