Surprise trade deadline development involving a gold medalist and a trade now would make sense more than ever
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Sam Walker
Feb 25, 2026 (9:03)
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Connor Hellebuyck's Olympic gold and Medal of Freedom chatter just spiked Winnipeg Jets trade talk, even with his save percentage flirting with .900.
It sounds backwards, but that's the gift Winnipeg just got. The story around Hellebuyck is suddenly bigger than his crease.
The U.S. just beat Canada for men's gold in Milan-Cortina, and Hellebuyck owned the moment.
He stopped 41 of 42 in the final, then got tied to the biggest civilian honor in the States.
Back in the NHL, it's been a grind. His 2025-26 line sits at 13-16-7 with a 2.79 GAA and a .900 save percentage.
Winnipeg hasn't exactly protected him either. The Jets are 22-26-8, stuck in the messy middle, and leaking goals in bad stretches.
That's where the «value» angle gets spicy. A goalie can look ordinary over 56 games, then look bulletproof when the lights turn nuclear.
Connor Hellebuyck puts the Winnipeg Jets on the clock
Jets fans feel it too, that mix of pride and dread, because you can already hear other GMs whispering «championship goalie» into the phone.
If Kevin Cheveldayoff ever wanted maximum leverage, this is the window. Not because Hellebuyck is suddenly better, but because the market is suddenly louder.
The contract makes it complicated. Hellebuyck carries an $8.5 million cap hit, and he has no-movement protection right now.
So a trade only happens if he agrees to it. That alone could shrink the list to a handful of true contenders.
On the ice, the «why» is simple. Winnipeg's defensive details have slipped, and Hellebuyck has been fighting through more second chances and broken coverage than he's used to.
If the Jets choose a reset, moving the biggest name between the pipes can bring back high-end futures fast. If they don't, they're betting this season is the outlier.
Either way, the next few games after the Olympic bump will feel like an audition, for him and for the roster in front of him.
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