NHL Rumors: Jets Could Trade Core Player For Huge Return
The questions that follow are not small ones.
The Athletic's Murat Ates wrote at length this week about the Jets' precarious position in what he called the "mushy middle" of the NHL, a place defined by being too good to tank and too flawed to really contend.
The core is aging. Their asset pool is depleted after years of trading draft picks for veterans who often left in free agency.
The development pipeline has not produced enough difference-makers to change the equation.
And now Connor Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart Trophy winner and the best player on the roster, has effectively served the organization a warning.
Speaking at the end of the season, Hellebuyck called the overall result "unacceptable" and raised concerns about whether the team could return to true contender status.
Insider David Pagnotta spoke on the situation, saying on the DFO Rundown that Hellebuyck told the organization "we better be back to contention or we're gonna have some awkward conversations."
Hellebuyck is under contract through 2030-31 at $8.5 million per year with a full no-movement clause, which gives him control over any potential trade.
The Nuclear Options
Ates examined what it would look like if the Jets chose to trade one of their four core players rather than run it back with the same group.
Hellebuyck is the most valuable chip and the most complicated.
Trading a franchise goaltender is rare, with almost no modern precedent that truly applies, but Ates noted that Hellebuyck's resume should be able to return a top-four defenseman or a second-line center in the right deal.
The problem is that the Jets would then need to find a replacement in net, and the veteran UFA market rarely offers an obvious answer.
Kyle Connor is the trade option that generates the most discussion.
Here's the video of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck being asked if this #NHLJets season will cause him to re-evaluate his future, pausing for ~7 seconds, and then getting into his full answer: pic.twitter.com/Zjr1sLbmnn
— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) April 17, 2026
Ates pointed to the 2022 Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster as the best comparable available, where Calgary received Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, a top prospect, and a conditional first-round pick.
Connor is a legitimate 40-goal scorer with a $12 million AAV and a full no-movement clause, meaning any trade would require his cooperation, but the return for a player of his caliber could fundamentally reshape the roster if the right partner is found.
Trading Josh Morrissey or Mark Scheifele would be a different problem entirely.
Ates acknowledged that both are so central to how Winnipeg functions defensively and in the faceoff circle that moving either without a proven replacement would be extremely difficult to survive.
The return in those cases would likely center on a young player with upside at the position plus a draft pick, the kind of "young player who might become a top defenseman or center" trade that works in theory but carries a ton of risk in execution.
The More Realistic Routes
Ates was careful to note that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has repeatedly said every decision he makes is aimed at winning with the current group, not blowing it up.
"Certainly open to talk about anybody," Cheveldayoff said when pressed, "but anything we do is about making this group one step closer to winning a championship."
The more realistic offseason routes involve addressing the second-line center problem, which has been Winnipeg's most glaring roster deficiency for years.
Ates floated Robert Thomas of the Blues as an unattainable standard, a player who would solve the issue completely but would require a massive return and a willingness to waive his no-trade clause.
Mark Schiefele opens up the scoring against the Stars
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) May 18, 2025
pic.twitter.com/YIkGqasEqv
More realistic options include restricted free agent centers stuck in third-line roles elsewhere, with Mavrik Bourque of the Stars and Peyton Krebs of the Sabres mentioned as names to monitor.
Young centers without no-trade protection such as Connor Zary of the Flames, Ridly Greig of the Senators, or Emmitt Finnie of the Red Wings are also worth watching, though there is no guarantee any of those teams are willing to part with them.
The Jets also hold the No. 7 pick heading into the May 5 draft lottery, and Ates argued strongly that making that pick is the correct call rather than trading it for a short-term fix, particularly given Winnipeg's history of mortgaging future assets without getting the results to show for it.
Photo Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
