There have been multiple players who won gold on Team USA in the 2026 Milan Olympics who have recently relocated from Canadian-based NHL clubs to clubs in their native United States.
Among them is Quinn Hughes, who was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Minnesota Wild in December, along with Brady Tkachuk, who was traded last month from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers. Speaking of Brady, his brother Matthew was dealt from the Calgary Flames to the Panthers in a blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022.
And now, another player who helped backstop Team USA to their first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, who is rumored to be on the move to an American-based club, is goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has played his entire career as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
And one team that he’s been linked to is the Buffalo Sabres, who returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring for the first time since 2011 after winning their division for the first time since 2007.
The Buffalo Sabres Got An Encouraging Update In Their Rumored Interest In Jets Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck
According to former Sabres goaltender and current Insider Martin Biron, the Jets would likely be better served by moving on from Hellebuyck sooner rather than later.
“I do think that Winnipeg is in a bit of a — kind of a tricky situation here,” Biron said. “Yeah, obviously Hellebuyck can go back to Winnipeg and play for the Jets this year, but are you so far down the road now that it’s like, ‘You know, we’re gonna get Hellebuyck back but he’s not gonna be happy to be here and we should just make the move, right?’”
Biron continued by stating his belief that the Jets may soften their request for what they’d want in return for Hellebuyck.
“I think that Winnipeg may have overplayed their hand before the draft,” he continued. “They were demanding, wanted a certain return and maybe the Sabres weren’t willing to give in. I think now it may soften a little bit.”
The Sabres would love to build more stability in goal after they utilized both Alex Lyon and Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen in the postseason, as neither goaltender was firmly able to take hold of the starter’s reins.
Jets Insider Mike McIntyre Is “95 Percent Sure” That Connor Hellebuyck Will Be Moved
According to Jets Insider Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press, there is at least a “95 percent” certainty that Hellebuyck will be traded, but the when is still the biggest question.
“I firmly believe Connor Hellebuyck is going to be traded,” McIntyre wrote in his Winnipeg Free Press column. “In fact, I’d put the odds somewhere north of 95 percent. I just don’t know exactly when, or to whom.”
“Still, the writing is on the wall here in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck is (almost certainly) moving on,”
The Jets have made moves in goal so far this offseason, signing former Edmonton Oilers starter Stuart Skinner to a multi-year contract while also bidding goodbye to Eric Comrie, who signed with the San Jose Sharks.
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