The Winnipeg Jets suspended goaltender Connor Hellebuyck on Wednesday after he failed to report to training camp, escalating a standoff that has hung over the franchise since the summer.
Hellebuyck, a three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender, confirmed publicly on Aug. 27 that he had asked the Jets for a trade earlier in the off-season, according to NHL.com.
“I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options,” Hellebuyck said in a statement released by his agent, Ray Petkau. “With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Jets captain Adam Lowry, speaking to NHL.com on Sept. 8 after a captain’s practice, said the room could not afford to dwell on it.
“Obviously the situation is what it is,” Lowry said. “(If) you spend so much time speculating on it you’re going to drive yourself crazy. The situation is going to resolve itself one way or the other, and I think from our perspective we’ve got to focus on getting ourselves ready for camp.”
The impasse involves one of the league’s most decorated goaltenders. Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy as most valuable player along with his third Vezina in 2024-25, going 47-12-3 with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and eight shutouts in 63 games as Winnipeg claimed the Presidents’ Trophy at 56-22-4 before losing to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference second round.
Last season was harder on both parties. Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage in 57 games, missing four weeks early in the year after arthroscopic knee surgery and returning Dec. 13. The Jets finished 35-35-12, seventh in the Central Division and eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s second wild-card berth.
He was considerably sharper on the international stage, going 5-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage as the United States won gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
Hellebuyck, 33, is entering the third season of a seven-year contract worth US$59.5 million, an average annual value of US$8.5 million, that he signed on Oct. 9, 2023. A fifth-round pick, 130th overall, in 2012, he leads all goaltenders in games played (625) and starts (615) since entering the league in 2015-16 and ranks second in wins with 345.
The suspension was one of several storylines as camps opened across the league this week. In Detroit, centre Dylan Larkin acknowledged to NHL.com that he had requested a trade from the Red Wings, saying the decision “wasn’t easy.” The Washington Capitals signed forward Ryan Leonard to an eight-year contract worth US$84 million, and the Carolina Hurricanes re-signed centre Jordan Staal to a one-year deal worth up to US$10 million, NHL.com reported. The San Jose Sharks signed head coach Ryan Warsofsky to a multi-year extension, and Drew Doughty opened his first camp as captain of the Los Angeles Kings.
Camps themselves look different this year. The Associated Press reported that the expanded 84-game regular season has compressed training camps and reduced the number of exhibition games, leaving teams a shorter runway to the earliest opening night in league history.
Featured photo: Blues2019CupChamps, released under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons. The image is from April 2026 and does not depict this week’s training camp.
