Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Thursday he will continue to look for a trade for Connor Hellebuyck after the franchise suspended the star goaltender for failing to report to training camp.
Cheveldayoff said whether or not Hellebuyck puts on a Jets uniform again rests entirely on the netminder.
“No door is closed, it’s a player that’s under contract and under contract for five years. c,” Cheveldayoff said. ”To think that a teammate couldn’t walk back in that dressing room and continue to compete, I don’t believe that."
For now though, the general manager said he is looking to find a trade that keeps the focus for the Jets on winning and added there is no timeline on making a deal.
“Unfortunately this situation is what it is. Just looking to find a resolution that works for both sides,” Cheveldayoff told reporters.
“We’re still trying to win. Period,” he added.
The general manager said he was not interested in divulging Hellebuyck’s reasons for demanding a trade.
“The choices that he makes are the choices that he makes.” Cheveldayoff said.
He also shut down any notion there was a “gentlemen’s agreement” to deal the goaltender if he ever wanted out when he signed his contract extension three years ago.
“A contract is a contract in the National Hockey League. Period,” Cheveldayoff explained. “There are no side agreements, there are no gentlemen agreements. The league doesn’t allow for that, so any notion around that would not have any merit.”
Hellebuyck went public with his trade request last month in hopes of spurring a trade before the season, but no such move has materialized. In fact, no trade has appeared close since the Jets held talks with the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the draft in June.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger has reported the Jets have not received any offers with “fair value in return for an elite-level goaltender in Hellebuyck with years remaining on his contract.”
Cheveldayoff did not want to get into specifics Thursday, but confirmed no offers have been worthy of consideration for the Jets.
Earlier this month, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun pointed to the Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth as possible landing spots for Hellebuyck. He added that the Florida Panthers were once interested in Hellebuyck, but that ship sailed after the team paid up to acquire Brady Tkachuk and brought in Jacob Markstrom to solidify their net.
Cheveldayoff signed goaltender Stuart Skinner as apparent insurance policy on July 1, when Hellebuyck’s trade request was still private.
Skinner now appears in line to be the Jets’ top option until the Hellebuyck situation is resolved one way or another. The team also has Thomas Milic, Domenic DiVincentiis and Isaac Poulter in their system at goaltender as the season draws closer.
The Jets held the first skate of training camp as Cheveldayoff spoke Thursday, with Skinner and Milic sharing the net in the first group on the ice.
The Jets open their preseason on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers and their regular season opener looms large on Oct. 2 against the Boston Bruins.
Hellebuyck is coming off a down year, but took home the Hart, Vezina and William M. Jennings trophies in 2025.
The 33-year-old netminder appeared in 57 games last season, his lowest total since the 2020-21 season, but also started five games for Team USA at the Olympics en route to winning gold.
Hellebuyck posted the worst save percentage of his career at .895 – the first time he’s fallen below .900 - in 2025-26, to go along with a 2.86 goals-against average and a 23-23-11 record.
The 33-year-old signed a contract extension in October 2023 with an annual cap hit of $8.5 million through the 2030-31 season.
The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2025, becoming just the fifth team in NHL history to miss the playoffs in the following year.
