The suspension of star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a path for him to remain with the Winnipeg Jets.
But when it comes to a possible trade, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Thursday he won’t allow any move to be a setback for the organization.
“This isn’t necessarily a time thing,” Cheveldayoff said at a press conference. “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.”
Hellebuyck, 33, privately requested a trade during his exit interview following last season, his 11th with the team. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goaltender made his request public on Aug. 27.
When he didn’t report to Jets training camp on Wednesday, the organization suspended the player who won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP for the 2024-25 season.
“No doors are closed,” Cheveldayoff said. “He’s a player that’s under contract for five years. But at the end of the day, that’s his choice.”
Hellebuyck signed a seven-year, $59.5 million deal in October 2023 but things have since gone downhill.
Hellebuyck was the star of the U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Games in Milan Cortina. He made 41 saves as the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in the final.
Hellebuyck attended the State of the Union Address, and it was announced then that he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump.
He has stated that his wife, Andrea, received “blowback” from the situation, particularly on social media.
“What they endured, they shouldn’t have had to,” said Cheveldayoff of the social media abuse.
According to reports, Hellebuyck has a no-movement clause in his contract and won’t approve of a deal which would ship him to any of the other six Canadian NHL teams.
The Jets previously held trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres regarding Hellebuyck, according to multiple reports. The Utah Mammoth, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils also reportedly have interest.
“I’m not going to get into the specific teams,” Cheveldayoff said. “My guess is to what his restrictions are in those regards. Again, the choices that he makes are the choices that he makes. I don’t have an understanding as to why he made some of the choices that he made when talking about those kind of situations.”
Meanwhile, the Jets hit the ice for their first training-camp workout Thursday and veteran forward Kyle Connor was one of many players well aware Winnipeg’s best player was not in the building.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Connor said. “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 are heartbroken.”
Hellebuyck, who grew up in Michigan, had a down season by his standards in 2025-26, finishing 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a career-worst .895 save percentage. Winnipeg failed to make the playoffs, going 35-35-12.
The prior season, en route to the Hart and Vezina honors, he went 47-12-3 with a .925 save percentage and league-best figures in GAA (2.00) and shutouts (eight).
In 625 career NHL games, Hellebuyck has a 345-208-55 record with a 2.58 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
The Jets open the preseason against the host Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, and they start the regular season at home against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 2.
