The Winnipeg Jets suspended Connor Hellebuyck on Wednesday night after he failed to report for medicals at the opening of training camp, escalating a standoff that has dragged on since August. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is set to address the media on Thursday morning, and the team has not said how long the suspension will last.
What Hellebuyck has done is close to unheard of in the modern NHL. The last player to refuse to report to a team he was under contract with was Alexei Yashin with the Ottawa Senators in 1999. The Senators suspended him, Yashin sat out the entire 1999-2000 season, and he returned to play for them again in 2000-01. That makes Hellebuyck the first player in 27 years to take this route.
Connor Hellebuyck suspended
The financial side is where the suspension bites. According to PuckPedia, a player suspended for failing to report does not get paid and does not carry a cap charge, meaning Winnipeg is off the hook for the $8.5 million Hellebuyck was owed this season while also gaining that space against the cap. In other words, the leverage in this standoff has shifted toward the team.
Hellebuyck made his position clear when he went public on August 27 through his agent, Ray Petkau.
“I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options. With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request,” Hellebuyck said. “My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Teams interested
The trade market hasn’t moved in the meantime. The Buffalo Sabres held talks with Winnipeg ahead of the June draft but nothing has progressed since, and TSN’s Darren Dreger has reported that the Jets don’t feel they’ve been offered fair value for an elite goaltender with years left on his deal.
Pierre LeBrun has pointed to Buffalo, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Utah Mammoth as the most realistic destinations, while the Florida Panthers were interested in June but have since spent the assets required.
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Winnipeg opened camp with six goaltenders on the roster, Hellebuyck still among them. Stuart Skinner, signed to a two-year deal worth $3.75 million annually this summer, has the most NHL experience of the rest of the group after going 23-17-9 with a .888 save percentage last season between Edmonton and Pittsburgh.
Hellebuyck is coming off the worst statistical year of his career, finishing 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage, the first time he has ever finished below .900. He still won the Hart, Vezina and Jennings trophies in 2025 and backstopped the United States to its first Olympic gold since 1980 in February. His contract, signed in October 2023, runs through 2030-31.
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