As Connor Hellebuyck's future with the Winnipeg Jets remains uncertain, it's time to explore what the franchise's competitive hopes will look like if the star goaltender ends up on another team before the upcoming season.
There has been noise surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck throughout this off-season regarding a potential trade for the former Hart Trophy and three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
Hellebuyck has been one of the league's best goaltenders for quite some time and has guided the Jets to some successful regular seasons and deep playoff runs. But with his future in Winnipeg unclear, what would the Jets look like without their superstar goaltender?
The answer is that it depends entirely on which goalie would come back in a potential trade, and whether the Jets can rebound after missing the playoffs last season.
The truth is, if Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff decides to trade Hellebuyck, Winnipeg is likely downgrading in the crease at the very least. He's been one of the best netminders of his generation, and he can't be replaced in one trade.
However, that doesn't mean the Jets will have to roll over and give up on being competitive without the 33-year-old.
Hellebuyck On The Move?
Hellebuyck has been rumored to be linked to the Buffalo Sabres earlier this summer, so what could come in return in a trade with the Atlantic Division side?
Winnipeg may need a goaltender to come back to fill the hole that Hellebuyck's departure would create. A 27-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could be a great asset in the Jets' crease, and probably the best-case scenario in a Buffalo trade.
He isn't a superstar by any means, but if getting paired with free-agent acquisition Stuart Skinner would make for a pretty steady duo. Luukkonen and Skinner have shown their capability to perform in the NHL, albeit inconsistently.
Together they could ease each other's workload, which may result in better performances. That would be a big difference from the previous years of Hellebuyck starting 60-plus games in a season.
While the Jets would ideally fill multiple needs with a return package in a Hellebuyck trade, it's important that they receive some sort of goaltending help back. Skinner has a pair of Stanley Cup final appearances under his belt with the Edmonton Oilers, but there's no doubt that he could use some support, and that's what Cheveldayoff needs to seek.
Beyond Skinner, there isn't a goaltender in the Jets' system with sufficient NHL experience to put together a stable tandem.
Goalies who have thrived playing a range of 35 to 45 games in a season would be ideal. Luukkonen, St. Louis’ Joel Hofer, Buffalo’s Alex Lyon, Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt and Anton Forsberg would be the type of goalies who could fill that role.
Winnipeg's Outlook
With or without Hellebuyck, the Jets aren't much different from the time they won the 2024-25 Presidents' Trophy.
The biggest change last season was losing Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2025 and won the Stanley Cup.
There's still Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti, Josh Morrissey, and multiple other notable names. Even the head coach, Scott Arniel, was the one who guided Winnipeg in that season from behind the bench.
It's fair to say that the Jets can't always attract talent via free agency, but they've stuck with the same core group for a while, which makes them a team with some of the best chemistry in the NHL.
Going from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to finishing in 12th place in the Western Conference standings should be seen as a blip. The foundation for a successful Jets team is still there.
Even if a hypothetical trade saw Hellebuyck move on to another market this off-season and Winnipeg looking at a tandem of Skinner and a quality starting goalie, the 2026-27 campaign isn't automatically lost.
How good they end up being will depend on how competitive the Central Division is.
Judging by last year, where the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild finished 1-2-3 in the conference, and the Utah Mammoth were a wild card team, the Jets could certainly fall behind. That's without considering the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues, who are primed for bounce-back seasons.
Whether they trade Hellebuyck or not, it feels that the Jets are at a crossroads, and this season could decide which direction the franchise will head in moving forward.
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