Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck requests trade

Connor Hellebuyck, the NHL’s Hart Trophy winner in 2025 and a three-time goaltender of the year, has publicly asked for a trade from the Winnipeg Jets.

Hellebuyck said he privately asked to be traded “several months ago” in a statement posted on the X account of his agent, Ray Petkau.

The goaltender says he gave the organization time to address his request “quietly and respectfully,” but decided to go public as training camp nears.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had said before June’s NHL draft that he was listening to offers for Hellebuyck. At the time, he did not confirm that the goaltender had asked to be traded.

Hellebuyck backstopped the Jets to the NHL’s best record in the 2024-25 season and was rewarded with the Hart Trophy as league MVP as well as his third Vezina Trophy as top goalie.

The 33-year-old from Commerce Township, Mich., was a middling 23-23-11 in 57 games with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage with Winnipeg last season. But he did help the United States win gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, making 41 saves in a 2-1 win over Canada in the gold-medal game.

Hellebuyck is the latest high-profile American player to seek an exit from a Canadian NHL team, following the departures of Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa, his brother Matthew from Calgary and Quinn Hughes from Vancouver.