There have been several notable players in the National Hockey League in recent months who have been heavily embroiled in trade rumors, among them being Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck, who is one of the top players in the NHL at his position and who also helped Team USA win a historic gold medal earlier this winter in Milan, is also a three-time Vezina Trophy winner. However, a year after helping the Jets win the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s top club, it appears as though his time with the organization may have reached an end.
And a cryptic hint by the Jets as they released their schedule for the upcoming season may point toward his fate being sealed with the only organization he’s ever played for in the NHL.
The Winnipeg Jets Appear To Have Hinted At Connor Hellebuyck’s Future
As noticed by Hockey Patrol on Instagram, the Jets have not included Hellebuyck in any of their promotional materials for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season.
“Connor Hellebuyck quietly disappears from Jets marketing,” Hockey Patrol wrote on Instagram. “Winnipeg rolled out its 2026-27 schedule, but its three-time Vezina Trophy winner was nowhere to be found in the promotional material.
That does not confirm a trade. Still, leaving the face of the franchise out of a major team rollout is difficult to ignore while speculation continues to surround his future.
Hellebuyck remains under contract for five more seasons, so the Jets are not under pressure to move him. But teams are usually deliberate about which players they use to represent the organization publicly.
Maybe it means nothing. Maybe Winnipeg is quietly preparing fans for what comes next.”
Born in Commerce Township, Michigan, Hellebuyck was taken by the Jets in the fifth round (130th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, and would eventually make his debut with the club in the 2015-16 season.
He’s been the Jets starting goaltender since 2016-17, and amassed a record of 345-208-55 with a 2.58 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and 55 shutouts. He’s also posted a record of 24-34 with a 2.90 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and five shutouts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Jets Are Listening To Offers For Hellebuyck
In June, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed that the club was fielding offers for their goaltender.
“Everybody is talking about ways to improve their team or different things like that,” Cheveldayoff said. “Certainly, as an organization we’re gonna listen.
“Everyone saw Helly’s press conference at the end of the year. He was passionate. Certainly in our exit meetings we had some frank conversations as well, but, again, what happens in those meetings certainly stays private.”
He continued:
“At the end of the day, we both chose to sign a seven-year extension. He gave up some UFA years,” Cheveldayoff said of Hellebuyck.
“We had the desire to take a player into his high 30s and there’s risk on both sides. So again, as an organization you’re incumbent, it’s incumbent upon me to listen, and then that’s kind of what I’ve done up until this point.”
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