The Winnipeg Jets opened training camp Wednesday without Connor Hellebuyck, suspending the star goaltender after he failed to report while his trade request remains unresolved.
Jets suspend Hellebuyck as camp opens
Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, announced publicly on Aug. 27 that he had asked to be moved earlier in the offseason. The 33-year-old said through agent Ray Petkau that he had tried to keep the matter private and give Winnipeg time to consider its choices, but felt compelled to confirm his position as camp approached.
Hellebuyck said he believes a change of teams is the right outcome for both him and his family. His stance has not shifted despite the start of camp and the club’s decision to suspend him.
Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry made clear earlier this month that the room cannot let the goalie’s status consume its attention. Speaking after a captain’s practice on Sept. 8, Lowry said the players must prepare for camp and concentrate on producing a bounce-back season rather than guessing when or how the situation will end.
Lowry added that Hellebuyck would be treated as a Jet for as long as he remains on the roster, but said there is little value in daily locker-room speculation.
A sharp drop after a Presidents’ Trophy season
The standoff comes after a difficult 2025-26 campaign for Winnipeg. Two seasons after posting the NHL’s best regular-season record and claiming the Presidents’ Trophy, the Jets went 35-35-12 and finished seventh in the Central Division. They ended eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s final wild-card berth.
Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 in 57 appearances last season, recording a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage. It was the first time, excluding the shortened 2020-21 schedule, that he did not reach 60 games.
His season was interrupted by arthroscopic knee surgery early in the year. He missed four weeks and returned to the Winnipeg net on Dec. 13.
He later found top form on the international stage, backstopping the United States to gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Hellebuyck was 5-0 there with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage.
Hellebuyck’s Winnipeg résumé
The contrast with 2024-25 is considerable. Hellebuyck won both the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and his third Vezina after going 47-12-3 with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and eight shutouts across 63 games.
That Jets club finished 56-22-4 to secure the Presidents’ Trophy before its season ended against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Second Round.
Selected by Winnipeg in the fifth round, No. 130 overall, in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hellebuyck has been the franchise’s workhorse since entering the League in 2015-16. He leads all NHL goaltenders over that span with 625 games played and 615 starts, while his 345 victories rank second.
| Career mark since 2015-16 | NHL standing |
|---|---|
| 625 games played | First among goaltenders |
| 615 starts | First among goaltenders |
| 345 wins | Second among goaltenders |
| .916 save percentage | Third among goalies with 300-plus games |
| 2.58 goals-against average | Tied for fourth among goalies with 300-plus games |
His Vezina wins came in 2019-20, 2023-24 and 2024-25. Since NHL general managers took over voting for the award in 1981, only Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Hellebuyck have captured it at least three times.
Hellebuyck is entering the third season of the seven-year, $59.5 million deal he signed on Oct. 9, 2023. The contract carries an $8.5 million average annual value. For now, Winnipeg begins camp without its No. 1 goalie in the crease and without a resolution to the biggest question hanging over its season.
SEO Title: Winnipeg Jets suspend Connor Hellebuyck after camp absence
SEO Description: Connor Hellebuyck did not report to Winnipeg Jets training camp and was suspended as his trade request remains unresolved.
