NHL Insider Reveals The Florida Panthers' Offer For Connor Hellebuyck

On Friday, former Florida Panthers assistant GM and current New Jersey Devils GM pulled off a blockbuster deal, landing Connor Hellebuyck in a five-team trade.

The three-time Vezina Trophy winner and one-time Hart Trophy winner formally and publicly requested a trade this off-season and chose to sit out training camp, pre-season, and the start of the 2026-27 NHL regular season. He was suspended by the Winnipeg Jets without pay.

Nothing changed until yesterday, when the Devils sent five players in a package, led by forward Dawson Mercer and the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, Alexander Command, to the Jets to land Hellebuyck.

Trade discussions involving Hellebuyck date back to the start of the off-season, and among the several teams interested, like the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes, the Panthers tried to land the gold-medal-winning goaltender from the Jets.

Speculation has circulated about what the Panthers may have offered for Hellebuyck, and yesterday evening NHL insider Elliotte Friedman joined the Kyper and Bourne show to outline the Panthers' offer. 

"I think it was Rodrigues, I think it was Luostarinen, and a chunk of the picks they gave to Ottawa for Tkachuk," said Friedman. "Maybe not all of them, but a couple of them. And I heard that Winnipeg asked for Lundell, and that would have gotten the deal done. And Florida was like, 'We’re not doing that. We are not putting him in there.''

It's been long reported that the Jets were fairly insistent on acquiring Anton Lundell in a deal for Hellebuyck. The Jets believe they can compete whether Hellebuyck is with the team or not, so adding Lundell would have significantly improved their center depth.

As for the pieces they tried to trade, they eventually sent Evan Rodrigues to the Devils to acquire Jacob Markstrom. Eetu Luostarinen remains with the Panthers, and as Friedman mentioned, the picks they attempted to get involved in were used to acquire Brady Tkachuk. 

Time will tell whether the Panthers made the right move by keeping Lundell rather than dealing him away for Hellebuyck. Lundell is off to a slow offensive start, posting just one goal and three points in 11 games. 

Tkachuk has bounced back from a slow start, scoring seven goals and 11 points in 11 games, while Luostarinen has just two goals in 11. As for Markstrom, he's dealing with injury issues but has posted a respectable .897 save percentage over six games. 

The Devils now become Stanley Cup contenders. With a strong roster headlined by Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Luke Hughes, the Devils have few weak spots and are a true threat to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference. 

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