- Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli reports the Kings have kicked the tires on Connor Hellebuyck
- Los Angeles was told Hellebuyck would accept a trade there
- Read below for the Kings’ goaltending numbers and the first-round pick problem
The Kings have joined the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes.
Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli reported Thursday that Los Angeles is among the teams that have recently kicked the tires on the Jets goaltender. Seravalli wrote that Kings GM Ken Holland has at least figured out the price it would take to pry Hellebuyck out of Winnipeg, and that the Kings have been told he would accept a trade to LA.
The interest comes from a team in a hole. The Kings are 0-3-2, the only winless team in the Pacific, and goaltending is a big part of it. Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg have combined for an .848 save percentage through the first two weeks.
Seravalli said the Kings are now debating which way to go. If 0-3-2 turns into 1-8-2, it gets hard to include a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick in a package, even with lottery protection. Landon DuPont insurance is only part of it, since the conversation also covers a possible pivot for one of the oldest rosters in the league.
He also pointed out that the Jets have their own situation to manage. Hellebuyck was suspended in September for not reporting to camp after his trade request, and Seravalli wrote that Winnipeg is weighing what happens if he calls and says he wants to come back. The Jets can keep him away from game action for rule violations or conditioning, but contractually he has the right to show up and earn his pay.
Hellebuyck is signed through 2030-31 at an $8.5 million cap hit. His contract carries a full no-movement clause this season, which becomes a 10-team trade list on July 1, 2027. A trade to Los Angeles only works if he agrees to it, and Seravalli says the Kings have heard he would.
Seravalli closed the thought with a case for the fit. Hellebuyck has five years left on his deal and could be the backbone between a team trying to make the playoffs now and the youth movement coming behind it. The Kings would also face competition. Reports have linked other Pacific Division clubs to him, and Elliotte Friedman said earlier this week that talk of a return to Winnipeg was growing.
Hellebuyck won the Hart and his third Vezina in 2024-25, then finished 2025-26 with a .895 save percentage as the Jets missed the playoffs.
