Elliotte Friedman confirms it's over for Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg with new details
Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
The Winnipeg Jets signed Stuart Skinner on July 1, but the real story may be forming three levels down.
Elliotte Friedman confirmed the two-year, $3.75 million deal, framing it as protection if Connor Hellebuyck gets traded, which he expects will still be the case this offseason, essentially saying his time in Winnipeg is pretty much over.
Re Jets: "I still think we're gonna see Connor Hellebuyck get moved, they got a good insurance policy...in Stuart Skinner, but I don't think we've heard the end of that one yet."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
The last two days of coverage have followed one script: list Buffalo and Carolina as suitors, then wait for a trade announcement.
That framing misses what Winnipeg's goaltending pipeline actually looks like heading into training camp.
Skinner arrives after tours with Edmonton and Pittsburgh, giving Winnipeg a starter with recent playoff mileage regardless of what happens next.
Eric Comrie, last season's primary backup, left for San Jose the same day Skinner signed, clearing a roster spot rather than filling one.
That deal came from San Jose's initiative, not from any push by Winnipeg to keep an experienced arm in reserve.
Meanwhile the Manitoba Moose enter the fall with Domenic DiVincentiis fresh off a breakout Calder Cup run and Thomas Milic established as the AHL's top option in net.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff also used the 2026 draft to add two more goaltending prospects to that pipeline.
A pipeline problem regardless of Hellebuyck
Trade Hellebuyck tomorrow and Skinner becomes the unquestioned starter, but Winnipeg still has two NHL-caliber prospects with nowhere obvious to play.
Keep Hellebuyck and the logjam gets worse, since Skinner didn't sign a two-year, $3.75 million contract to sit on a taxi squad.
Either outcome forces Cheveldayoff into a second decision nobody is discussing: what happens to DiVincentiis and Milic once one of them is NHL-ready.
Why the timing matters more than the trade
Comrie's departure on the same day as Skinner's arrival wasn't a coincidence, it was Winnipeg clearing books before the crease gets crowded again.
Head coach Scott Arniel now inherits a goaltending situation that could look completely different by Canadian Thanksgiving, independent of where Hellebuyck lands.
The Hellebuyck trade will dominate headlines whenever it lands, but the Jets' actual goaltending decision may not involve him at all.
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