Would Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck be a good fit with the Sabres or Sharks? Could he stage a holdout to force a trade? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

BUFFALO HOCKEY BEAT: Bill Hoppe looked at whether trading for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would be worth the steep asking price.

Hellebuyck, 33, revealed his trade request last week. The 33-year-old netminder is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2024-25, and backstopped Team USA to Olympic gold earlier this year.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).

The Sabres and Jets reportedly held trade talks about Hellebuyck in late June, but those discussions fell through before the opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Hoppe believes Hellebuyck could be an upgrade in goal for the Sabres. However, he feels the cost of acquiring the veteran netminder and taking on the remaining five years of his contract (with an average annual value of $8.5 million) outweighs the benefits.

Hellebuyck is coming off his worst NHL season, which included missing three weeks in November due to arthroscopic knee surgery. He’s also played more games than any other goalie since his big-league debut in 2015-16, and that wear and tear could be taking a toll.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hoppe makes a solid case against acquiring Hellebuyck. Nevertheless, Sabres management didn’t seem concerned about those issues when they held those rumored trade talks with the Jets in June. It’s believed the deal fell through because the Sabres asked for too much, wanting the Jets first-round pick (eighth overall) as part of the return.

At that time, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he believed Hellebuyck would waive his no-movement clause to go to Buffalo. It’ll be interesting to see if he still feels that way, and if the Sabres would be interested.

THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka wondered if the San Jose Sharks should be interested in pursuing Hellebuyck. If they spent the assets necessary to acquire the Jets goalie, it could transform the Sharks from a rebuilding team to one in “win-now” mode.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier has amassed the league’s deepest pool of prospects to draw on for trade bait. Pashelka thinks Grier may have done his due diligence to see what the Jets’ asking price would be.

However, Pashelka also cited the risks for the Sharks, citing many of the issues Hoope did for the Sabres. He also believes the Jets’ asking price would include promising goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Like the Sabres, the Sharks are expected to be a competitive playoff team this season regardless of their starting goaltender. It remains to be seen if either club is willing to accept the risks for what could be a significant reward.

TSN: Analyst and former NHL goalie Martin Biron recently raised the possibility of Hellebuyck staging a holdout for perhaps the entire season to force the Jets into trading him.

Biron suggested that Hellebuyck would risk the suspension that would come from that action, that the goalie has made good money and put it away, and would be fine spending the year with his family while awaiting a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck could go that route, but it’s a tactic that could backfire.

By staging a holdout to force a trade, he’d be breaching his contract. The Jets could suspend him without pay, fine him, and toll his contract, meaning he’d still have five years remaining on his deal when he would end the holdout.

Hellebuyck might not miss the paycheque if he’s managed his money properly, but he would miss not playing. Losing a year could adversely affect his performance when he returns, especially now that he’s approaching his mid-thirties.

Holding out could also cause some suitors to have second thoughts. If he’s willing to stage a holdout to force the Jets to trade him, nothing is stopping him from doing it again if things go sour with another club.