Analyst Floats Surprise Pacific Division Team as Connor Hellebuyck Landing Spot

The 2026-27 NHL regular season starts in one week, yet it still doesn’t appear as if anything is all that close on the Connor Hellebuyck trade front.

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Neither Hellebuyck nor the Winnipeg Jets want to enter the new campaign with the superstar goaltender still on the roster and potentially holding out until he’s moved, but it’s going to take an acquiring team stepping up to the table to make a deal happen.

We’ve heard plenty of talk about the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and even some recent buzz about Canadian teams in the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. However, former NHL goalie and current analyst Jamie McLennan believes one there is one that hasn’t been mentioned enough that could be a great landing spot for Hellebuyck: the San Jose Sharks.

McLennan said:

“If I’m San Jose, I take a pretty good hard look at him. They’ve got Askarov there, and that might be a scenario where Winnipeg can get themselves a really good young goaltender who’s just learning to become a number one. And Hellebuyck might fast-track what’s going on in San Jose. To me, if I’m San Jose, I look at what Anaheim did last year, and I think that’s what is in store for them: a dangerous team that is just getting better with experience. You add a Hellebuyck in there, it might be very interesting, because San Jose has nothing but cap space and picks and prospects. You can make a pretty good deal there if I’m Kevin Cheveldayoff and Mike Grier,”

The 33-year-old Hellebuyck has five years remaining on the seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension he signed with the Jets in 2023. He’s coming off a down 2025-26 season in which he went 23-23-11 while posting a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage across 57 starts.

McLennan is certainly right that the Sharks could absorb Hellebuyck’s contract while providing a strong return package of young players, prospects and picks.

From Winnipeg’s standpoint, San Jose would be an intriguing dance partner. The only question is whether Mike Grier believes his team is ready to truly compete over the next few years while Hellebuyck remains in his prime. If not, he’s unlikely to spend big and rush what’s been a great start to their rebuild.

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