- Elliotte Friedman says Sharks and Jets have discussed a Connor Hellebuyck trade
- Sharks GM Mike Grier has entertained the idea as San Jose shifts into contention mode
- Read below for where Hellebuyck could fit with Yaroslav Askarov already in net
The Connor Hellebuyck trade market has a new name to watch.
Elliotte Friedman said Wednesday on The FAN Hockey Show that the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets have discussed a deal for the goaltender. Friedman couldn’t say which side started the conversation, but the two teams have kicked the tires on it.
Sharks GM Mike Grier has at least entertained the idea, and the fit lines up in a few ways.
San Jose already has a goalie it’s building around in Yaroslav Askarov. The 24-year-old played his first full NHL season in 2025-26, and it came with the usual ups and downs for a young netminder breaking in on a rebuilding team. That team looks different now. The Sharks spent the summer adding Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Mason Marchment, and the expectation is San Jose competes for a playoff spot this season.
Hellebuyck would give them a proven difference-maker in net. He’s won three Vezina Trophies and finished as a finalist two other times, and he’s led the NHL in games played in five of the last nine seasons. Last year was a down one by his standards, but the belief around the league is he bounces back.
Daily Faceoff’s Carter Hutton broke down why the fit isn’t as clean as the names suggest.
“With Hellebuyck, it’s almost more of a win-now situation. Anybody who’s getting Connor Hellebuyck is like, we want to win the Stanley Cup. So you hear Carolina’s name being thrown around, or Buffalo that’s trying to be in there,”
Carter Hutton, Daily Faceoff LIVE
Hutton and co-host Tyler Yaremchuk both landed on San Jose staying put, pointing to the gap between a 24-year-old they’re building around and a goaltender turning 34 in the middle of a rebuild that’s just starting to pay off.
He requested a trade out of Winnipeg in July and still hasn’t reported to camp. The Jets have him suspended while they wait for the right deal. San Jose kicking the tires doesn’t mean a trade is close. It means the list of teams looking just got longer.
