As the NHL inches closer to the regular season with training camps and preseason action just around the corner, there is still meat on the bone when it comes to the trade saga surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. However, the end may finally be in sight, according to new reports.
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Jets have re-engaged to some degree in trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres around a potential deal for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
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Johnston noted the two clubs were linked heavily on a deal that might have happened around draft day, tied to some of the first-round picks involved, and that both sides have since had to reimagine what that package might look like.
This comes after the two clubs nearly struck a deal around the time of the draft that would’ve seen the Jets add the fourth overall pick and top-six forward Jack Quinn among other pieces in a returning package. However, the deal fell through when Winnipeg wasn’t willing to move off its own first-round pick at ninth overall.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on NHL Tonight this past Friday that he’s heard there are “big challenges” when it comes to getting a deal done, which may be part of the reason Winnipeg is returning to the table with Buffalo.
“Some of the things that were available at the beginning of the summer or at the draft are no longer available,” Friedman explained, noting that no-trade lists reset on July 1, meaning players like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who might’ve been available to Winnipeg earlier in the summer could now be off the table.
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That means the Jets may not get the same return package they were offered around draft time. Still, with the storyline dragging into training camp, Winnipeg may simply look to move on from the situation and finalize a deal, even at a reduced price.
Hellebuyck is coming off a down season by his standards, finishing 2025-26 with a 23-23-11 record, a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage, a steep drop from his back-to-back Vezina campaigns, when he combined for an 84-31-7 record, a 2.19 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
It will be a blockbuster deal whatever comes to pass, and with both sides reportedly reigniting talks, something may get done sooner rather than later.
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