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This has been one of the more unusual early NHL offseasons. Instead of focusing on free agency, much of the attention has been on star players looking to move on from their current organizations.
Ottawa already sent Brady Tkachuk to Florida. Meanwhile, Dylan Larkin has asked out of Detroit and Zach Werenski’s future in Columbus appears to be up in the air.
The potentially biggest name that could be on the way is Winnipeg Jets goaltender and Team USA Olympic hero Connor Hellebuyck. Now the team’s GM has confirmed that they are at least listening to offers from potential trade partners.
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Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed the team is listening to offers for star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Photos)
“Obviously, as an organization, we want to listen,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told NHL.com. “Everybody saw (Hellebuyck’s) press conference at the end of the year; he was passionate. Certainly, in our exit meetings we also had some honest conversations, but again, what happens in those meetings certainly remains private.”
Hellebuyck is under contract through 2031 and has an $8.5 million cap hit, meaning any trade partner would have to give up some.
But it’s not every day a team can bring in a generation number one goaltender with three Vezina trophies on his resume, so it would probably be worth it.
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Connor Hellebuyck’s current contract runs through the 2030-31 NHL season. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Photos)
The Jets took a big step back this season by missing the playoffs entirely after winning the Presidents’ Trophy the season before.
This led to some critical remarks from the soon-to-be Medal of Freedom recipient when he was available at the end of the year.
Connor Hellebuyck of Team United celebrates a 2-1 overtime win against Canada for the gold medal during the men’s gold medal game at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy on February 22, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“Complacency is not going to move us forward, so something has to happen,” he said. “…A lot of times, that’s all you can ask (of teammates) — give it your all every single night. As a teammate, I can really rally behind that and really cherish those moments with those guys. But just putting the same product on the ice, I don’t think it worked for a reason.”
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There was a flurry of moves during the NHL Draft on Friday night, and it makes you wonder if some teams that could take a swing at Hellebuyck but are up against the salary cap — like Vegas or Florida — could line up ducks to make an offer.
