Jets Suspend Hellebuyck Over Trade Demand; GM Keeps Door Open — SkimNews
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- Winnipeg Jets suspended Connor Hellebuyck on Wednesday for failing to report to training camp after the three-time Vezina winner requested a trade during exit interviews following his 11th season with the franchise.
- Kevin Cheveldayoff left the door open for Hellebuyck to stay, saying "No doors are closed," while noting the Jets have spent "a long period of time" — including last June's NHL draft — trying to find a deal, pushing back on a report calling the offers "terrible."
- Hellebuyck went public with his trade demand in late August, saying he'd handled things "quietly and respectfully," and TSN reported he won't waive his no-movement clause to join any of the six other Canadian NHL teams.
- Cheveldayoff denied any "gentlemen's agreement" exists to honor a trade request ("A contract is a contract in the National Hockey League, period") and said the goalie market is uniquely tough because teams with a "bona fide No. 1 goaltender" generally don't want to deal.
- Hellebuyck's wife Andrea endured social media "blowback" after the goalie led Team USA to 2026 Olympic gold over Canada, per Cheveldayoff; Hellebuyck attended the State of the Union, where President Donald Trump announced he'd receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Hellebuyck will begin losing salary when the regular season starts while suspended, though his $8.5 million average annual value won't count against the Jets' salary cap.
Why it matters: An MVP-caliber goalie is stuck: six Canadian teams are off-limits via his no-movement clause, teams that need a No. 1 already have one, and Cheveldayoff denies any side deal exists to force a trade. The financial squeeze hits Hellebuyck directly — he'll start losing salary once the season begins — while Winnipeg's inability to extract value for its franchise goaltender limits what the Jets can recoup in any deal.
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