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2 hours ago
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Connor Hellebuyck may not want to spend the rest of his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets after experiencing a brutal season.
And if he wants a trade, there's one spot that would make a lot of sense while simultaneously being scary to the rest of the league: the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers have Sergei Bobrovsky's contract coming off the books, which both creates a need and opens the space for such a move.
NHL.com's Dave McCarthy wrote this on X recently:
"As it relates to Connor Hellebuyck, I was told recently that it wouldn’t be surprising if he plays elsewhere next season. A number of factors at play, including his discontent with how the season went for the Winnipeg Jets. 4 yrs left at $8.5M. 33 yrs old next season."
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McCarthy then added: "I’ll tell ya if I’m Bill Zito and the Florida Panthers, I’m banging down the door of Kevin Cheveldayoff tomorrow. Would be a perfect fit with Panthers at a reduced cost to what they were paying Sergei Bobrovsky."
Hellebuyck is coming off a season in which he won the Olympic gold medal with Team USA, and he's been one of the best goalies in the NHL for most of his career, having won the Vezina Trophy three times.
He had his worst statistical season in 2025-26, with a 2.86 GAA and 89.5 save percentage, but he wasn't helped by a struggling team in front of him.
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The Panthers had won back-to-back Stanley Cups before missing the playoffs this season, so they could want a jolt, as well.
Florida should have a top-10 pick in the draft, which is a possible trade asset.
This lines up quite nicely, if Hellebuyck does indeed try to work his way out of Winnipeg.
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