Jets suspend Hellebuyck after no-show as trade standoff sharpens
The Winnipeg Jets suspended Connor Hellebuyck on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, after their star goaltender failed to report to training camp.
He did not show. The team acted. No terms or length of the suspension had been announced as of 17 September, according to The Guardian.
The absence follows a public trade request from Hellebuyck in the month before camp. His agent, Ray Petkau, posted the request on X. Hellebuyck has since said his position has not changed and that moving on is the best path forward for him and his family.
He had privately asked Winnipeg to move him several months before that public statement, according to Sportsnet. The standoff was expected. In the week before camp, reports citing an NHL insider said Hellebuyck would likely hold out and not report.
This is not a fringe player. Hellebuyck has spent all 11 of his NHL seasons in Winnipeg. He has won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie three times. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 2024-25 season.
He is two seasons into a seven-year contract signed in October 2023 with an average annual value of $8.5 million, the yearly cap hit that counts against the league spending limit.
The numbers explain part of the tension. In 2024-25, Hellebuyck went 47-12-3 with a .925 save percentage (share of shots stopped), a 2.00 goals-against average (goals allowed per 60 minutes) and eight shutouts (games without allowing a goal). Last season, he finished 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage.
Winnipeg slipped with him. The Jets went 35-35-12 in 2025-26 and missed the playoffs. For his career, Hellebuyck is 345-208-55 in 625 games with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. He also led Team USA to gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
For fans, this means the next save may come somewhere else. Winnipeg previously held trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres about Hellebuyck. The Utah Mammoth, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils have been reported as interested, but those are rumors, not deals.
What comes next is fast. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will hold a press conference on Thursday, 17 September. Winnipeg announced a 51-player camp roster, with on-ice work set for Hockey For All Centre starting 17 September. The Jets open the preseason in Edmonton against the Oilers on Saturday, 19 September, then start the regular season at home against the Boston Bruins on 2 October.
