Connor Hellebuyck's trade request could land the Vezina Trophy winner with a NY Islanders' rival

Few netminders in today's NHL who can compete with the greatness of Ilya Sorokin, but Connor Helebuyck is certainly one who can. The goaltender made waves across the NHL landscape today, making public his trade request with the Winnipeg Jets.

After 11 seasons in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck is ready for a new start elsewhere. Hellebuyck and his agent, Ray Petkau of Alpha Hockey, said he had privately requested a trade months ago but decided to make it public with training camp around the corner.

Hellebuyck could be headed to the Metro

The three-time Vezina Trophy recipient, Hellebuyck, will have suitors lining up at his door, but a deal will have to make sense for the Jets, and some of those teams who could be potential suitors could be battling the NY Islanders for a playoff spot.

The Buffalo Sabres were the darlings of the 2025-26 season before being bounced from the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens. The addition of Hellebuyck could put them over the hump and make them immediate Stanley Cup contenders.

Two other teams that will have their eyes on Hellebuyck play in the Metro Division. The New Jersey Devils moved on from Jacob Markstrom this summer, and have yet to replace him, with Jake Allen and Nico Daws currently listed as their goalie tandem. Paying a total of just $3.9M on their netminders and with nearly $5M in cap space, it wouldn't take too much maneuvering for the Devils to fit Hellebuyck's $8.5M AAV.

The Carolina Hurricanes are already Stanley Cup Champions, but with losing Frederick Andersen in free agency, there isn't much experience between the pipes with Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi. The Canes have $10.1M in cap space available and could fit Hellebuyck without any additional moves.

In a division with Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin, there's the possibility that another elite netminder could be playing in the Metro Division in 2026-27.

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