Less than 10 days since the season ended, there are already rumors surrounding Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets franchise goaltender spoke to the media and made it clear that he’s unsure of the team’s future. “In this moment, after going through that, it’s hard,” Hellebuyck said. “It’s the next day. To all of a sudden come over here and say, ‘We’re going to be amazing next year after we just [miss the playoffs].’
He did follow that up by expressing the desire to stay in the only city he’s ever played for. However, trade rumors are already swirling for the defending Vezina trophy winner. Hellebuyck and the Jets finished a disappointing season. The one bright spot for Hellebuyck was his amazing gold medal performance at the Milano Olympics.
If made available, he would be the top trade target on the market. Despite his age (32), he would immediately give any team a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup. In particular, contending teams will be knocking down the door to get a chance to acquire him. With that in mind, three teams stand out as potential trade suitors.
1. Florida Panthers
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Florida Panthers missed the playoffs entirely in 25-26. Even with the injuries, it was still a disappointment for the champs to miss the postseason outright. General manager Bill Zito will look to retool the team and redeem themselves next season. Adding Hellebuyck would be a huge help to this team.
However, there’s still a chance the Panthers re-sign Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency. After all, he did propel them to those back-to-back titles. The Panthers have $15.4 million in projected salary-cap space for 2026-27 with 18 players currently under contract. If Zito goes after Hellebuyck over Bobrovsky, they can fit his $8.5 million AAV cap hit.
Despite only having one first-round pick in 2027 and 2028, the Panthers could make an aggressive offer to Winnipeg. If Florida can add Hellebuyck, the Panthers would once again be a major favorite to reclaim the Stanley Cup.
2. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. The disappointment caused ownership to fire Tom Fitzgerald and hire Sunny Mehta as the team’s newest GM. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to fix the roster. One area that needs addressing is goaltending.
Jacob Markstrom struggled most of the season. He posted a 23-19-1 record along with a 3.07 GAA and a .883 SV%. It was statistically the worst season of his career. What makes it worse for Devils’ fans is that his new contract extension kicks in this summer.
Fortunately, he can be moved to any team not on his 20-team no-trade list. The Devils have $11.9 million in cap space to afford Hellebuyck’s contract. New Jersey has some enticing assets that can be moved in a deal. Guys like RFA Simon Nemec, Dawson Mercer, and draft picks.
If added, the Devils would have the top-flight goaltending they’ve been searching for. It won’t solve all the team’s issues, but it would be a massive upgrade that would push New Jersey that much closer to contending.
3. Vegas Golden Knights
This seems like an obvious one. The Vegas Golden Knights are not afraid to make the big move to win. This includes both player acquisitions and head coaching. Acquiring Hellebuyck would be a continuation of that mindset in Sin City.
Their goaltending would be the best it’s been since Marc-Andre Fleury if they add the top goalie. They currently roster Carter Hart, Adin Hill, and Akira Schmid. Hellebuyck would easily take the starter’s crease. The biggest question will be figuring out the salary cap to make it work.
This won’t stop them from finding a way, however. If defenseman Alex Pietrangelo remains on the long-term injury list (LTIR), they can open up over $13 million. There are other cap moves they can make as well. The only thing that can be an issue is not having a good enough trade offer for Winnipeg.
They have their 2028 1st round pick and one top prospect in Trevor Connelly. There’s likely going to be more enticing deals out there. Still, if available, the Golden Knights will find a way to be involved in the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes.
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