Connor Hellebuyck is back in the news despite still not playing a single minute for the Winnipeg Jets this season.
Hellebuyck continues to forfeit his 2026-27 season salary (now over $536k) because of a team-issued suspension for missing training camp, but he may reportedly seek a return to the Jets while keeping his prior trade request intact. However, according to hockey insider David Pagnotta, those on Winnipeg’s current roster may not want to accept his return.
“There’s some shift on Connor Hellebuyck’s side, and it wouldn’t shock me if this goes beyond (just) conversation of him returning to Winnipeg to join his team while still wanting a trade a la Dylan Larkin,” Pagnotta told Hello Hockey’s Tom Gazzola and Shawn Belle. “We’ll see kinda where that goes, monitoring that on our end. There are some whispers that might be evolving and going in that direction.
“The early indication is that the locker room just wants to keep rolling with what they’ve got. Quite frankly, starting to hear that they may not want him to come back. We’ll see how things progress here, but it does sound like there are some conversations about maybe Hellebuyck starting to think about rejoining the club while still wanting a trade, while simultaneously hearing that the guys in the room aren’t really going to welcome him with open arms.”
Hellebuyck made his trade request public in late August. Since then, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has maintained that the team has been trying to resolve the situation, but is focused on making a deal that helps the Jets stay competitive.
“We’ve been trying to make a trade that works for both sides for a long time, and we’ll continue to do that,” he said in a press conference the day after Hellebuyck’s suspension.
Late last month, there appeared to be potential movement involving the Carolina Hurricanes, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman called them a “motivated pursuer” and said they’d likely send disgruntled defenseman Alexander Nikishkin out in any trade. However, weeks later, that move hasn’t materialized, and neither Hellebuyck nor Nikishkin has played a game this season.
With Hellebuyck no longer a factor on the team’s depth chart, the Jets claimed former Washington Capitals goaltender Clay Stevenson off waivers. Stevenson has since made two starts for the Jets, going 1-1-0 with a 3.10 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage.
If Hellebuyck returns and is allowed to rejoin Winnipeg’s roster, the Jets will either have to carry three goaltenders or waive Stevenson. In that latter case, if the Capitals are the only team to claim Stevenson, they could send him directly to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Hershey is currently utilizing a tandem featuring Mitch Gibson and veteran Cal Petersen.
