A new team may be working its way into the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes. While Buffalo has spent weeks as the presumed frontrunner — the Jets and Sabres were still exchanging trade frameworks as of last weekend — the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre reported this week that the San Jose Sharks are positioning themselves as a serious option for the Winnipeg Jets goaltender.
McIntyre still views Buffalo as the most logical destination, but he pointed to a telling piece of circumstantial evidence on the San Jose side: the Sharks signed Eric Comrie this summer, Hellebuyck’s longtime backup in Winnipeg. Pairing a familiar backup with an incoming franchise starter is the kind of groundwork a team lays before a big swing, and general manager Mike Grier has spent the offseason making aggressive additions around Macklin Celebrini‘s young core.
McIntyre has also been direct about the endgame, putting the odds that Hellebuyck is traded this summer “somewhere north of 95 per cent.” Not everyone in the Winnipeg market shares that certainty — some coverage this week has argued the goaltender is increasingly likely to simply report to camp, since a truly compelling offer would presumably have been accepted by now. But the volume and consistency of the reporting points one direction: the Jets are motivated sellers, and the market is forming.
The competitive tension matters for Winnipeg’s return. Buffalo’s talks have reportedly centered on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a second-line forward and a top prospect — a steep ask that stalled once already around the draft. A credible second bidder, especially one with San Jose’s stockpile of young players and picks, is exactly what Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to hold that price. Whether the Sharks are genuinely in or being usefully rumored to be in, the effect on the negotiation is the same.
On the fantasy side, Hellebuyck’s outlook now spans a wide range. He remains a top-three goalie on talent, but a trade to Buffalo would attach him to a playoff-hungry roster that should support strong win totals, while San Jose — improving but still young — would likely cost him wins even at a heavy workload. Until he has an address, treat his draft-day price as unsettled, and expect the gap between his save-percentage value and his win value to depend almost entirely on the destination.
