When Connor Hellebuyck went public with his request to be traded from the Winnipeg Jets on August 27, his decision to do so was seen by most observers as an attempt to accelerate trade talks and increase the chances he could begin 2026-27 with a new team. As of right now, the decision to take the trade public has not translated into a deal.
With Jets training camp beginning on Thursday, Sept. 17, it looks increasingly likely that Hellebuyck will begin the season with the only NHL team he’s ever suited up for.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun issued an update on the state of Hellebuyck trade talks, writing “there’s just nothing on the table that would represent a fair deal for Winnipeg.”
Few would dispute Hellebuyck’s standing as one of the game’s greatest goaltenders. Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, two-time William M.
Jennings Trophy winner, and one of just a small handful of goalies to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
He also backstopped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, and his performance against Canada in the gold medal game will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the great single-game goalie performances in the modern history of the game.
But with all of that said, finding a trade that sees the Jets receive adequate value for Hellebuyck is by no means an easy task. First and foremost, some of the potential suitors that were interested over the summer no longer appear to be in the running.
According to LeBrun, the Florida Panthers “showed real interest” in acquiring Hellebuyck over the summer, but they are no longer seen as a potential landing spot. Their acquisition of Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has left them lacking the kind of trade capital necessary to acquire the goalie, and their decision to trade for veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom has left them without a major need for a No. 1 goalie.
Additionally, other interested teams have already held substantive trade talks with the Jets over Hellebuyck, but failed to come to an agreement on a trade. LeBrun reported that the Buffalo Sabres and Jets “had very serious talks” about a Hellebuyck trade during the 2026 draft, “culminating in offers and counteroffers on the Friday of the first round of the draft in late June.” The teams were not able to reach an agreement, though, and the Sabres no longer have a crucial trade chip in the form of the No. 4 overall pick, which they used to select WHL defenseman Daxon Rudolph.
LeBrun did note that the Sabres remain “among the possibilities” of teams Hellebuyck could still be dealt to, but the fact that their initial talks fizzled out does suggest there are still barriers in their negotiation both sides need to navigate. According to LeBrun, two other teams that are possibilities to acquire Hellebuyck are the Utah Mammoth and Carolina Hurricanes.
Utah has been one of the league’s more aggressive teams since being acquired by owner Ryan Smith and relocating from Arizona, so their interest in Hellebuyck comes as no great surprise. The Mammoth’s hockey operations department is no stranger to blockbuster trades, acquiring names such as Mikhail Sergachev, Vincent Trocheck, JJ Peterka, and MacKenzie Weegar over the last two years.
GM Bill Armstrong has shown he is willing to make bold additions to his roster if the opportunity presents itself.
Complicating Utah’s presence in the market for Hellebuyck is their offseason acquisition of Sebastian Cossa from the Detroit Red Wings. In July, Cossa was ranked as the league’s fourth-best goalie prospect by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
Wheeler cited Cossa’s “combination of size, dexterity, competitiveness and explosiveness” as traits that give him “undeniable upside.” The Mammoth parted ways with a first-round pick to add Cossa, who now costs $2MM against the cap and is not exempt from waivers.
The addition of Cossa to the Mammoth roster, as well as the presence of incumbent No. 1 goalie Karel Vejmelka, makes their status as a Hellebuyck trade destination more murky. Even with Cossa, they’d almost certainly benefit from, and be interested in, adding a goalie of Hellebuyck’s caliber.
But after spending a significant asset to acquire one of the game’s best goalie prospects, it’s harder to imagine Utah getting engaged in a serious bidding war for Hellebuyck. And that’s before even getting into how Utah’s fit for Hellebuyck is further muddied by the 10-team no-trade list on Vejmelka’s contract, which could make it impossible for the Mammoth to include him as part of their trade offer the Jets.
Of the three “possibilities” LeBrun explicitly named, the Hurricanes present fewer obvious obstacles. The reigning Stanley Cup champions are set to enter the season with a tandem of Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi.
Bussi had an exceptional rookie season with the team after they claimed him on waivers at the start of the season, but he has just 39 career NHL games played, and a career .895 save percentage.
Kochetkov has a more extensive NHL resume, but was limited to just nine NHL games last season due to injury. Kochetkov has two seasons as Carolina’s No. 1 goalie on his resume, but has not performed well in the playoffs.
Hellebuyck would represent a massive upgrade for the team over both Kochetkov and Bussi.
The real question regarding the Hurricanes’ fit for Hellebuyck is whether Carolina will sanction a significant expenditure of trade assets in order to upgrade their goaltending. Earlier this year, they showed they could win the Stanley Cup without prioritizing the position, getting elite playoff goaltending from 36-year-old veteran Frederik Andersen.
Andersen cost just $2.75MM against the cap last season, and Bussi costs just $1.9MM.
Acquiring Hellebuyck would represent a significant departure from the status quo for the team’s hockey operations department. But the team, led by GM Eric Tulsky, have not been afraid to make bold moves.
They stunningly acquired star winger Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche, only to flip him to the Dallas Stars a little over a month later.
Carolina is not afraid to break from convention, or take risks, in order to add stars to their roster. So their past strategy surrounding goalies should not be seen as a guarantee that they’ll pass on any opportunity to add an elite goalie, given the costs associated.
According to LeBrun, the Hurricanes “remain interested” in Hellebuyck.
From the Jets’ perspective, Carolina could be an ideal fit because they could center their offer