Three trade destinations to watch for Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck
In what is seemingly a never-ending trend in the NHL, yet another American player is looking to exit stage left from Canada. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has gone public with his trade request, something he had quietly notified the organization of earlier in the offseason.
The Jets have historically gone as Hellebuyck has, with his best performance coming two seasons ago, winning both the Hart and Vezina Trophies; uncoincidentally, it was the same season the Jets took home the Presidents’ Trophy. Hellebuyck’s historically bad playoff performances took center stage once again in 2025, resulting in the Jets losing in six games to the Dallas Stars after narrowly getting past the St Louis Blues in a seven-game Round-1 matchup.
There’s no doubt that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be looking to cash in on the return for his franchise cornerstone, but it may be tougher than one thinks. As one general manager told Daily Faceoff last week, the goalie market is not strong due to there not being a lot of suitors.
Many have pointed to the Florida Panthers as a destination, but after the acquisition of Jacob Markstrom and being so tight up against the salary cap, there likely isn’t a fit. I had speculated about the San Jose Sharks as a landing spot last week, but as one Eastern Conference executive mentioned to DFO, it is a transaction that is probably unnecessary on the part of GM Mike Grier.
All that said, here are the top three landing spots, with some suggested potential trade packages for Hellebuyck.
3. New Jersey Devils (Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws and a top-10 protected first-round pick)
The Devils’ ceaseless search for stability in net post-Cory Schneider has been quite polarizing, with new GM Sunny Mehta pulling the plug on the Markstrom experiment this summer. With Jake Allen and the unproven Daws set to be the tandem, there is a clear need on paper for Hellebuyck.
Mercer would be a welcome addition to the Jets’ middle-six and would give them some much needed depth-scoring. Mercer is capable of playing down the middle but has historically been more effective on the wing; on paper, he would likely slide onto the right wing beside captain Adam Lowry and Cole Perfetti.
A third round pick six years ago, Daws has shown glimpses of being an everyday NHLer but has yet to put it together consistently – even at the AHL level. But at 25 years old, he could pair with the veteran Stuart Skinner in Winnipeg and could grow into a tandem goaltender in time.
The deal may not be “sexy’” enough for Cheveldayoff to pull the trigger from a name-value basis, as the Jets’ small market would likely take a hit with the departing Hellebuyck with a less than jaw-dropping return. The package makes sense on paper in terms of value, but may not get it done in terms of optics.
Cap Summary
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2. Carolina Hurricanes (Alexander Nikishin, Brandon Bussi or Pyotr Kochetkov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and two first-round picks)
Consulting with two high-ranking NHL team executives on what a package could look like, this package was approved by both – the only difference being that one executive favored Bussi while the other favored Kotchetkov.
Nikishin would give the Jets’ blueline a shot in the arm, and he is still unsigned as an RFA. As a left shot who can play both sides, he would theoretically slide onto the second pair beside Dylan Samberg or on the third pairing alongside Mario Ferraro. With a seemingly untapped offensive ceiling – Nikishin tallied 33 points in 81 regular season games as a rookie last season – he would likely push for second-unit power play time.
Bussi or Kochetkov would form a tandem with Skinner; while neither is especially young at 28 and 27, respectively, they still have enough runway to hold the fort for several seasons. Kotkaniemi would be a complete cap dump, something the Hurricanes have been looking to do for a while now. According to an assistant GM, taking him on at full value is worth a first-round pick (hence the two firsts in the proposed package).
The Jets are shallow down the middle, so taking a flier on Kotkaniemi wouldn’t be the worst thing; in a market that struggles to retain and recruit players, having a 26 year old under contract for four more years could be advantageous. This deal could be good for the Jets, though it would be more centered around quantity as opposed to quality.
1. Buffalo Sabres (Radim Mrtka or Jack Quinn, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and a top-10 protected first)
Unsurprisingly, the Sabres are in the top spot here, as they have long been the favorite to land the Olympic Gold medallist goaltender. There was a rumored deal that fell through between the two sides leading up to the NHL Draft that included the fourth overall selection (eventually becoming Daxon Rudolph), but the fit is still there.
DFO senior writer Matt Larkin speculated recently on a trade package consisting of Mrtka, Luukkonen and a first-round pick. Cheveldayoff has little to no leverage here after the trade request went public, so if the Sabres value Mrtka higher, they could be more inclined to include Quinn as part of a package.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old Quinn is coming off a breakout season in which he tallied 20 goals and 51 points while playing in all 82 games. The Sabres are fairly deep up front and on the wing, with Quinn projected to play in the middle six. He’s set to be an RFA next summer, so perhaps the Sabres will want to move him before having to deal with his next contract – especially after signing wingers Zach Benson and Josh Doan to lengthy and expensive deals.
Quinn would slide onto the second line with the Jets presumably, though his upside could have him land on the top trio alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor in time. Luukkonen would serve the same role as the other goaltenders in the aforementioned packages, though he has arguably more upside than the others.
When all is said and done, this seems like the most likely destination and a package that makes the most sense for the Jets.
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