The Vezina and Hart Trophy winner is signed through 2030-31 at an AAV of $8.5 million
If there was any doubt about Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck's intentions heading into next season, the Hart and Vezina Trophy winner made it clear when he confirmed through his agent that he has requested a trade. The 33-year-old had knee surgery, and a career-worst .895 save % with the Jets last season, but still played 57 games (23-23-11) and was the key to Team USA’s gold medal victory at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
The Buffalo Sabres were connected to Hellebuyck around the NHL Draft in late June, but Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could not find common ground on a deal. The conventional wisdom is that now that Hellebuyck has made his trade request public, that Cheveldayoff is not in as strong a negotiating position to get the best deal for the netminder, but he reportedly is open to going to a wide swath of teams.
Unless Hellebuyck is prepared to hold out, Winnipeg could wait into the season for the right return for such a valuable commodity.
The Sabres could be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but deals that had previously been offered that included goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen might be off the table, since he has a five-team no-trade clause that could block a trade to Winnipeg. It is expected that any deal involving Buffalo would include one of their young centers (Noah Ostlund or Konsta Helenius), one of their top prospect defenseman (Daxon Rudolph or Radim Mrtka) and/or an established NHL forward (Jack Quinn or Ryan McLeod).
Other Sabres Stories
Other teams could be in the mix for the veteran netminder, either to get them into the playoff mix, or to elevate them from a consistent postseason entrant to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Vegas Golden Knights
Team Status: The Golden Knights surprised some by getting past Colorado in the Western Conference Final to advance to the Cup Final against Carolina, but many point to the subpar play of Carter Hart as one of the main reasons they lost to the Hurricanes. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has found ways to defy the odds to make his club better, and in spite of a decreasing amount of assets outside their core group, his ability to do so cannot be underestimated.
Current Goalie Situation: Hart played only 18 games after being signed midway through last season, but started all 22 playoff games over Cup winner Adin Hill. Hill is 30 played only 27 games due to lower body injuries, and is entering year two of a six-year contract extension, making $6.25 million AAV. Akira Schmid played the bulk of their starts (34), but he signed with FLorida in the offseason.
Assets To Trade: Hill has a 10-team no trade clause that could prevent being included in a Hellebuyck deal, and after trading winger Pavel Dorofeyev to New York, their best young prospects are not in the NHL; 2024 first rounder Trevor Connelly, and 2026 top pick Juho Piiparipen. Forwards Tomas Hertl ($6.25 million) and Ivan Barbashev ($5 million) are still in their prime, but Hertl has a three-team trade approval list, and Barbashev a 10-team no trade list. The only likely path is for McCrimmon to trade these players to teams they are not blocked by, to gain assets to ship to Winnipeg.
This is a longshot, since there are not many clubs looking to do Vegas many favors, so Buffalo should be able to top any offer they make.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
