Connor, Jets teammates ‘heartbroken’ by Hellebuyck situation

WINNIPEG -- Connor Hellebuyck remains with the Winnipeg Jets, a scenario that will continue to be the case until they find the right deal for their franchise goalie.

In the meantime, his teammates opened training camp Thursday without him.

“Yeah, it's tough,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said just hours after Hellebuyck was suspended by the team for failing to report to camp. “As a player, all you can do is kind of deal with what's in front of you. Obviously, the news is heartbreaking being a teammate of his for so long. It's tough, it feels like we had such a special group here and for whatever reason, I can't speak to the reason until we hear from the man. I’m not going to speculate on what it is, but I know that a lot of guys in that room that are heartbroken.

“Listen, we've had adversities throughout the way, there's been injuries. For whatever reason, I look at it as a great challenge for everybody to step up their game. We all know what last year was and how much we need to improve. So, we never shy away from a challenge. There's a lot of compete in that room, and this situation is no different.”

But it’s surely difficult for Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who said he’s not willing to just simply give Hellebuyck away. A three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL (2020, 2024, 2025), Hellebuyck publicly stated Aug. 27 that he had requested a trade earlier in the offseason. The 33-year-old still has five seasons remaining on the seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) he signed Oct. 9, 2023.

“For me, I have to try and keep a level head,” Cheveldayoff said. “I can’t let emotion come into play in any regard. It’s about trying to find something that can push this organization forward in a different fashion with a different player or players. So, that remains the thought process.  

"That was the thought process from I guess the moment my head took the news from the request. That’s what it has to be. But it can’t get emotional, it can’t get personal. Connor Hellebuyck’s part of our family until he’s not part of our family.”

That left the Jets opening training camp without Hellebuyck, the face of their franchise for a more than a decade. Among goalies who have played at least 100 games, he is Winnipeg’s all-time leader in wins (345), save percentage (.916), goals-against average (2.58) and shutouts (45). Hellebuyck has played 625 regular-season games (615 starts), since being selected by the Jets in the fifth round (No. 130) of the 2012 NHL Draft. 

The Jets (35-35-12) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best record in the NHL in 2024-25. Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player that season, as well as the Vezina, when he went 47-12-3 with a 2.00 GAA, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts in 63 games.

“I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options,” Hellebuyck said in a statement released by his agent, Ray Petkau. “With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”

Buzz surrounding a potential trade has been ongoing for months, with Winnipeg going as far as signing goalie Stuart Skinner, who helped the Edmonton Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, to a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75 million AAV) on July 1. But the situation came to a head when Hellebuyck made his trade request public.

Yet, he remains a member of the Jets. 

“There’s probably lots of why's (for Hellebuyck), and unfortunately this situation is what it is,” Cheveldayoff said. “We've been dealing with it for a period of time now, and (we’re) just looking to find a resolution that works for both sides, but certainly for the players and the fans of the Winnipeg Jets.

“If it's future assets that are going to be (included), how many years into the future? That's not the message that I'm sending to Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey, Dylan Samberg -- the people that are committing to this organization. We think we have a good group here. We think we have a good nucleus of players. We stumbled last year, and we're humbled by that.”

So, Hellebuyck remains in limbo indefinitely, away from the Jets until their GM can find a deal that potentially could improve them rather than set them back. 

“This isn't necessarily a time thing,” Cheveldayoff said. “For me, my obligation is to the Winnipeg Jets, the Winnipeg Jets players and the Winnipeg Jets fans. I guess, for me, I just want to get this right.

“We're talking about moving a player that has been very, very important to this franchise, and is a very good player in the National Hockey League. And we expect, I guess, that a level of return would be commensurate to that. So, that's really been the premise.”