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Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has won three Vezina trophies as the NHL’s top netminder and an Olympic gold medal, has publicly requested a trade.
Hockey journalists and fans have been speculating about the star’s future for months. He confirmed in a statement distributed by his agent Thursday that he privately requested a trade from the Jets several months ago.
“I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options. With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request,” Hellebuyck said.
“My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family. I appreciate everything Winnipeg Jets fans have meant to me throughout my career and hope a resolution can be reached soon.”
Hellebuyck, 33, is from Michigan. In a rare feat, he was named both the league’s most valuable player and top goalie after the 2024-25 NHL season, when the Jets finished with the league’s best record for the first time in franchise history.Â
Hellebuyck said in his statement that he’ll never forget when the Jets drafted him in the fifth round (130th overall) of the NHL draft in June 2012.
“I gave everything I had from that moment to prove that the Jets made the right decision,” his statement reads in part.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave Hellebuyck — who made 41 saves on 42 shots for the United States in the Olympic gold-medal game against Canada at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games earlier this year — the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. The medal is the highest civilian honour for United States citizens.Â
Hellebuyck has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy five times.
