- Jets left Connor Hellebuyck off every piece of their 2026-27 schedule release marketing
- Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin called the omission telling as trade talk lingers
- Read below for what the snub says about Winnipeg’s plans for its franchise goalie
The Winnipeg Jets rolled out their 2026-27 schedule last week without their best player anywhere in the marketing.
Connor Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner who also grabbed the Hart in 2025, never showed up on any of the promotional material. Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin flagged it while listing the offseason’s biggest unresolved storylines.
Larkin put Hellebuyck’s future near the top of that list.
“The Jets don’t have to move Hellebuyck – they are still trying to compete in the present, and he has five seasons remaining on his deal – but it’s telling that they didn’t include him on any of their promotional material for the schedule release last week,” Larkin wrote.
Here’s Larkin sharing the piece:
Hellebuyck never formally asked out of Winnipeg. He did make his frustration clear after the Jets slid from Presidents’ Trophy winner in 2024-25 to out of the playoffs a year later, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff admitted during draft week that he was listening to offers on his goalie.
Check out Daily Faceoff breaking down where things actually stand:
Buffalo has been tied to him more than any other team, though the two sides haven’t matched up on a package yet. Winnipeg wants real roster help coming back, not a stack of picks, because it still plans to contend.
Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage behind a leaky team last season. He was still good enough to backstop Team USA to Olympic gold in February. Five years and $42.5 million remain on his contract at an $8.5 million cap hit.
His teammates have already talked about how strange the summer feels, and the schedule snub only piles on. If no trade comes, the Jets and their goalie report to camp with plenty left to sort out.
