Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has won three Vezina trophies as the NHL’s top netminder and an Olympic gold medal, has publicly requested a trade.
Hockey journalists and fans have been speculating about the star’s future for months. He confirmed in a statement distributed by his agent Thursday that he privately requested a trade from the Jets several months ago.
“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, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family. I appreciate everything Winnipeg Jets fans have meant to me throughout my career and hope a resolution can be reached soon.”
Hellebuyck, 33, is from Michigan. In a rare feat, he was named both the league’s most valuable player and top goalie after the 2024-25 NHL season, when the Jets finished with the league’s best record for the first time in franchise history.
Statement from Connor Hellebuyck: <a href=”https://t.co/hW8sNw1LJi”>pic.twitter.com/hW8sNw1LJi</a>
Hellebuyck said in his statement that he’ll never forget when the Jets drafted him in the fifth round (130th overall) of the NHL draft in June 2012.
“I gave everything I had from that moment to prove that the Jets made the right decision,” his statement reads in part.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave Hellebuyck — who made 41 saves on 42 shots for the United States in the Olympic gold-medal game against Canada at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games earlier this year — the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. The medal is the highest civilian honour for United States citizens.
Hellebuyck has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy five times.
