Jets Suspend Connor Hellebuyck for Missing Camp as $59.5 Million Goalie Seeks Trade
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Jets Suspend Connor Hellebuyck for Missing Camp as $59.5 Million Goalie Seeks Trade
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Summary
Connor Hellebuyck was suspended after failing to report to Winnipeg Jets training camp, leaving the star goaltender in limbo while his trade request remains unresolved.
The 33-year-old said he had asked for a move several months earlier, and linked the rupture partly to threats and online abuse aimed at his family after the Olympics.
Hellebuyck had signed a seven-year, $59.5 million deal in 2023, but Winnipeg's recent struggles and stalled trade talks with Buffalo over the Jets' asking price have complicated an exit.
His case lands amid a wider NHL pattern of U.S.-born players pushing to leave Canadian teams, after moves involving Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk sharpened concerns north of the border.
Are Canadian NHL teams facing a real retention crisis as more American stars choose family, contenders, and U.S. lifestyles over staying north of the border?
If money is no longer the issue, what can Canadian NHL teams offer that actually persuades elite U.S.-born players to stay long term?