- Carter Hutton says the Jets are stuck in “no man’s land” with Connor Hellebuyck asking out
- Hutton floated Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele as the next names to move if Winnipeg resets
- Read below for the full Daily Faceoff Live breakdown and where the trade request stands
The Winnipeg Jets have the best goalie in the world and no clean way to keep him.
Carter Hutton put a label on that spot this week. Working through Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request on Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, the former NHL goaltender said Winnipeg is trapped between two plans and that trading its Hart Trophy winner might be the only honest way out.
“The Winnipeg Jets are in this no man’s land. You have the best goalie, arguably, in the world and you can’t win as is. It’s hard to get players there.”
Watch the full segment:
Host Tyler Yaremchuk asked whether the Jets could simply tell Hellebuyck he is signed and he is playing in Winnipeg. Hutton did not think that holds up.
“I think the relationship is obviously frayed. I get why he went public, too. I see it from both sides.”
His read on the front office was blunt. Once the request is public, Hutton argued, management can trade Hellebuyck and hand the blame to the player instead of wearing it themselves.
Then he took it a step further. Hutton said a Hellebuyck deal at age 33 could bring back the young core Winnipeg needs, and he named Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele as the follow-up moves, calling Connor the more expendable of the two because of his contract and his age.
All of this traces back to Aug. 27. Hellebuyck confirmed the request in a statement released through his agent, Ray Petkau, saying he had asked out privately months earlier and that his position had not changed with camp approaching. Frank Seravalli posted the statement:
Winnipeg answered within the hour. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Hellebuyck had been open with the club about wanting a change and that the Jets would keep working through it, with no update to share:
The request has already drawn national heat, including Michael Wilbon tearing into Hellebuyck on Pardon the Interruption for wanting out with five years left on his deal.
Hellebuyck carries an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31. He won his third Vezina and the Hart in 2024-25, then won Olympic gold with the United States in February, and last season he went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage.
Camp opens in mid-September with the Jets sitting on roughly $4.5 million in cap space and a Hart Trophy goalie who still wants a new address.
