The saga surrounding Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets continues to escalate, with recent reports suggesting the divide between the goaltender and the organization may run deeper than initially believed.
TSN analyst and longtime NHL netminder Martin Biron addressed the situation on Overdrive this week, saying he believes the three-time Vezina Trophy winner could be prepared to sit out the entire 2026-27 season if his trade request isn’t granted.
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“I really feel that Connor Hellebuyck is gonna say, ‘Ok that’s fine, suspend me whatever. I’m willing to sit out a year, I’ve made good money, I’ve put it away… just gonna take time with my family,'” Biron said.
It would be an unprecedented step in the modern NHL and would mean walking away from a significant chunk of the $59.5 million remaining on his seven-year contract, but Biron suggested Hellebuyck may be prepared for exactly that outcome.
Hellebuyck’s public statement last week made clear he wants to move on from Winnipeg, but the severity of that stance has only become more apparent as the situation has unfolded.
Biron also weighed in on what it would take for the Jets to move him, suggesting Winnipeg should be seeking a first-round pick, a high-end prospect, an established NHL player and additional help in net to pair alongside newly acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner.
The rift has also become a talking point on other platforms, including the widely followed Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, hosted by former NHL players Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette and Keith Yandle.
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During a discussion of the situation on Tuesday’s episode, Bissonnette, a Canadian native who has spent much of the past year working in the United States on NHL broadcasts among other media assignments around the league, offered some added context. He noted the relief he personally felt returning home to Canada after a long hockey season, and suggested a similar pull toward home may be another factor driving Hellebuyck, a Michigan native currently playing in Winnipeg.
The hosts also pointed back to comments Hellebuyck made following his return from the Winter Olympics, where he described the reception back in Winnipeg as far from warm despite having just won gold with Team USA.
In an article published by CBC back in March, Hellebuyck spoke about the backlash both he and his family faced. “The blowback that my wife [Andrea] was getting is just not fair. I don’t understand how she can take so much heat for just being with me as a hockey player.
“We’ve done nothing wrong, she’s done nothing wrong, my kids have done nothing wrong,” he said.
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Jets head coach Scott Arniel also addressed the situation at the time, expressing sympathy for what Hellebuyck and his family had gone through. “I really feel for him, [because] it got real personal, not just with him, but with his family, with his wife,” Arniel said.
“That’s the stuff that is out of bounds for me, and that’s the part that really, really upset him.”
The podcast hosts speculated that the fallout from the Olympics may have marked the beginning of the divide between Hellebuyck and the organization, one that only deepened once Winnipeg’s season ended outside the playoffs.
With training camp approaching and no resolution in sight, the situation risks intensifying further, particularly if Hellebuyck were to skip camp entirely, a scenario that could turn an already tense standoff into a much bigger issue for both sides. Given the stakes, it may ultimately be in Winnipeg’s best interest to find a resolution sooner rather than later.
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