Connor Hellebuyck was brilliant for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Milan. But outside of that, the 2025-26 season was one the Winnipeg Jets goalie would rather forget. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy the year before as the NHL’s best regular-season team, the Jets didn’t even make the playoffs this time around. Hellebuyck made it clear back in April that kind of result wasn’t going to fly.
Now the 33-year-old’s future in Winnipeg is getting serious buzz around the league. TSN insider Darren Dreger said Wednesday that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff might be more open to trade talks than people think.
“Where there is smoke, often there is fire,” Dreger said on That’s Hockey with Gino Reda. “What I can tell you from Winnipeg’s standpoint is that Kevin Cheveldayoff is at least in a position where he knows he has to listen.”
The Jets aren’t actively shopping Hellebuyck. But rival teams have been calling, and Dreger says those calls are getting returned.
What Winnipeg Needs
The reasoning is pretty straightforward. The Jets have multiple holes to fill heading into 2026-27.
“You look at the needs that Winnipeg has, they very much want a No. 2 center, they’d like to add a depth center like a fourth center, they’d like to look at their blue line,” Dreger explained. “If they trade Connor Hellebuyck, they’re going to have to pay some attention to their goaltending as well.”
Hellebuyck is still one of the best goalies in the league. But after his comments following the season, people started wondering if he’d even want to stay long-term. Goalies of his caliber rarely hit the trade block, even after a down year by his standards. He finished 2025-26 with a .895 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average over 57 games.
The Market Reality
Dreger pointed out that Winnipeg’s situation makes a potential blockbuster more interesting than usual.
“The unrestricted free agent market is so thin right now,” he said. “History tells us that Winnipeg struggles to make big trades because it’s hard to lure players with trade protection to Winnipeg.”
That means the Jets might have to deal one of their best assets if they want to seriously retool the roster. And Hellebuyck has a no-move clause, which complicates things. But if teams are calling and Winnipeg can land a No. 2 center plus more, Cheveldayoff is at least willing to consider it.
For now, Hellebuyck is still a Jet. But the door is cracking open. And if it does swing all the way, there’s going to be a long line of teams ready to bid.
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