The Winnipeg Jets are now 35 days away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also 58 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, with tickets for that game and the rest of the regular season on sale now. The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we are about to enter the month of September with NHL pre-season hockey.

Tonight we take a quick break from the “goals and expectations” series, as the biggest news of the Jets off-season happened yesterday afternoon. After months of speculation and trade rumours, Connor Hellebuyck publicly confirmed that he has requested a trade from the Winnipeg Jets. With training camp approaching, Hellebuyck felt that he should make his position public after privately requesting a trade several months ago.

The Jets are now faced with one of the biggest decisions they’ve ever needed to make in their 2.0 history. After Hellebuyck’s statement was released, the Jets responded by promising that “we will continue to work through the situation”, despite their not being an update at this time. Hellebuyck agreed to a long term extension with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2023, and now he still has five years left on his deal at a cap hit of $8.5 million. The 33-year old three-time Vezina Trophy winner will now be headed to a new team for the first time in his career, so which teams make the most sense for him to waive his no trade clause for a deal?

One team that reportedly tried to make a strong offer for Hellebuyck at the 2025 NHL trade deadline was the Buffalo Sabres. After returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Sabres were determined to add a new starting goalie before the playoffs. Although the proposed rejected trade offer is not confirmed, it reportedly included the 4th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, along with a goalie and a few prospects. The Jets reportedly rejected this trade because the Sabres wanted the 8th overall pick with Hellebuyck in this trade. The Sabres remain a strong contender to land Hellebuyck, as they have a good prospect pool with several young players that could step into the Jets lineup right away.

Two teams that might just be the “next best options” for a Hellebuyck trade are the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. The Panthers lost their starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky this off-season, and even though they acquired Jacob Markstrom, there would be a possibility of him serving as a back up to Hellebuyck. Unlike the Sabres, the Panthers don’t have a good prospect pool, but they would be able to make an offer to the Jets which includes one or two experienced players that could enter the Jets lineup right away.

The Vegas Golden Knights are another intriguing option that the Jets should listen to offers from if they’re interested in Hellebuyck. The Golden Knights used a few different goalies last season before settling with Carter Hart for their long playoff run, but they could be looking for more stability in this role as to look to remain a Stanley Cup contender. The Golden Knights always seem to trade away their top prospects for immediate NHL talent, and the Jets could make a deal that boosts their chances of returning to the playoffs as soon as possible.

Outside of the Sabres, Panthers and Golden Knights, there will likely be a handful of other teams that will attempt to acquire Hellebuyck’s talents in goal. The Edmonton Oilers have been needing a “proper” starting goalie for multiple years now, so there would be no better option for them to go out and acquire than Hellebuyck. The New Jersey Devils are without a starting goalie after trading away Jacob Markstrom, and they have the right pieces available to put together a strong offer for Hellebuyck, which would greatly improve their chances of making the playoffs. A final “wildcard” team that could look to acquire Hellebuyck is the San Jose Sharks, a team that is quickly getting out of a rebuild, with plenty of young talent throughout their roster and prospect pool.

In terms of what makes the most sense for the Jets, I believe that they need to try and acquire a starting goalie in return for Hellebuyck. Stuart Skinner has playoff experience from his time with the Oilers, but he might not be who the Jets would like to have as a starter in the long term after Hellebuyck. The Jets organization has said that it would like to get back in the playoffs as soon as possible rather than begin a rebuild, so the Hellebuyck trade needs to be a move that gives the Jets some players that will improve their roster both in the short and longer term. It may still take a while before the Jets complete and honour Hellebuyck’s trade request (likely before the season starts), but stayed tuned to the latest Jets news to be ready for when this important move happens.

The 2026 NHL off-season is coming to a close as we hit very late August, and teams will start hitting the ice for training camps beginning in just a few weeks. Stay tuned for more “goals and expectations” articles leading up to training camp, as I’ll look at what to expect from 2026-27 Jets players throughout the lineup. Let us know on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials if there’s a certain player you’d like us to cover next!

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