Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck suspended, seeks trade as Oct. 23 return nears
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The gist
Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has forfeited nearly $800,000 in salary since the team suspended him without pay.
His suspension ends Oct. 23, two days before the Jets host the Heritage Classic.
Background
Connor Hellebuyck is a 33-year-old goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (the NHL's top-goalie award), the 2025 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP and a 2026 Olympic gold medalist with Team USA. He asked for a trade after last season's playoff miss, and the Jets have held out on moving him since. His contract runs through 2031 at an $8.5 million cap hit and includes a full no-movement clause, which sources say has severely hindered Winnipeg in fulfilling his request. The standoff is nearing a flashpoint because his suspension ends two days before the Heritage Classic, an outdoor Jets home game against the Montreal Canadiens.
How it unfolded
- Oct 9, 2023Hellebuyck signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract with Winnipeg, an $8.5 million average annual value.
- 2025Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
- Feb 2026Hellebuyck led the U.S. men's hockey team to Olympic gold.
- 2026 offseasonHellebuyck requested a trade out of Winnipeg.
- Aug 27, 2026Hellebuyck publicly confirmed his trade request in a statement released through agent Ray Petkau.
- Sep 16, 2026Hellebuyck did not report to training camp; the Jets suspended him without pay.
- Oct 15, 2026Sportsnet's Frank Seravalli reported the Los Angeles Kings recently inquired about a Hellebuyck trade, with Kings GM Ken Holland understood to know what Winnipeg wants in return.
- Oct 17, 2026Elliotte Friedman reported the team-imposed suspension is slated to end Oct. 23.
- Oct 18, 2026Sportsnet reported Hellebuyck informed the Jets before their first regular-season game of his intention to return to the team.
- Oct 19, 2026ESPN sources said at least three teams remain in the mix, with no guarantee of a trade before the suspension ends Friday; Friedman said he expects that if no trade happens by then, the Jets will tell Hellebuyck they'll pay him but he's not coming in.
- Oct 23, 2026Hellebuyck's suspension is scheduled to end, two days before the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic.
Who’s saying what
- Player
- Hellebuyck says his position has not changed and that moving on is the best path forward for him and his family.
- Analyst
- Friedman says the Jets prefer no deal over a bad deal, but that it is much more difficult when they have to pay someone not to be there.
- Teammate
- Jets forward Cole Perfetti says the team wants guys who want to be there, and that a return with a recommitment to the group would be good news.
- Caution
- An unnamed Jets figure quoted by NHL.com says everyone, including players and coaches, is waiting to see what happens and that it is an unknown.
Still unverified
Reports describe advanced trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth battling over Hellebuyck, with nothing official; Seravalli wrote that the depth of the Kings' discussions is hard to measure; ESPN sources say there is no guarantee Hellebuyck will be moved before Friday.