Maple Leafs Checking In On Jets' Connor Hellebuyck

Thursday, June 25, 2026 ,
The Toronto Maple Leafs are working on something big this offseason, and one of the names now attached to them is the best goaltender in the world.

Marco D'Amico reported that the Maple Leafs have been in contact with the Winnipeg Jets to inquire about Connor Hellebuyck, with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period and Darren Dreger of TSN both confirming Toronto is exploring a significant move under new GM John Chayka.

D'Amico noted that the Sabres and Panthers are also among the teams calling about Hellebuyck, and added that the Leafs have kicked tires alongside Buffalo.

The likelihood of it actually happening is another matter entirely.

Why Toronto Is Interested

The appeal is obvious for a franchise that has spent the entire Auston Matthews era searching for a goaltender who can win in the postseason.

Outside of Frederik Andersen's strong regular seasons, the list of Leafs goaltenders over the last decade reads as a parade of average-to-decent options, names like Jack Campbell, Joseph Woll, Ilya Samsonov, and Matt Murray.

Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA in Milan, and widely considered the best goaltender on the planet.

For a Toronto team that just traded Woll to Philadelphia as part of Chayka's first move, a goaltending upgrade of that magnitude would be a massive offseason-defining swing.

Why It Probably Won't Happen

The obstacles are significant, starting with the Jets themselves.

Winnipeg is not actively shopping Hellebuyck, yet.

Chris Johnston of TSN reported that teams are calling the Jets to find out what it might take to acquire him, but stressed it was only at the conversation stage with no decisions made.

The Jets won the Presidents' Trophy last season, are built to win now, and signed Kyle Connor to a long-term extension last fall, all of which makes moving their franchise goaltender unlikely unless Hellebuyck himself forces the issue.

He is signed for five more years with a full no-movement clause next season that becomes a 10-team approved list afterward, giving him total control over any destination.

The price would be enormous.

Pagnotta, appearing on Leafs Morning Take, suggested that unless the core of a deal is Matthew Knies going to Winnipeg, a Hellebuyck trade to Toronto seems unlikely given the current situation.

The Leafs hold the first overall pick but are not likely to move it for a goaltender, which narrows the realistic framework considerably.

There is also the question of whether Toronto even needs to spend that kind of capital in net.

Dennis Hildeby is no longer waiver exempt, and Artur Akhtyamov just won AHL playoff MVP, meaning the Leafs already have organizational goaltending depth that makes a blockbuster pursuit harder to justify.

The One Scenario That Makes It Plausible

There is a path, and it runs through the Team USA connection that has already reshaped the league this offseason.

The Brady Tkachuk trade to Florida and Quinn Hughes landing in Minnesota have fueled the theory that American stars want to band together on contenders, and Hellebuyck is firmly part of that Olympic gold-medal core.

Toronto, with Matthews leading the way, offers a far better chance of contending next season than a Jets team Hellebuyck publicly questioned at his exit interview.

If Hellebuyck were to twist Winnipeg's arm and demand a trade specifically to Toronto, the connection to Matthews could be the thing that makes it happen.

Short of that, it's extremely unlikely this move to Toronto happens.

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