Winnipeg Jets

Hellebuyck Trade Request Sparks Fiery Response From PTI Hosts

The hosts at PTI (Pardon the Interruption) didn’t mince words when sharing their thoughts on the Connor Hellebuyck trade request.

by
Avry Lewis-McDougall
August 29, 2026

Connor Hellebuyck wanting out of Winnipeg may have created one of the most viral moments of the summer for ESPN.

Hockey talk on any ESPN show in mid-August is rare, but the Hellebuyck trade request from the Jets was a topic of discussion on Pardon The Interruption (PTI) with hosts Michael Wilbon and Frank Isola on Friday’s episode.

PTI did not hold back on Connor Hellebuyck’s trade request.

Mike Wilbon and Frank Isola ripped the Jets goaltender for wanting out of Winnipeg with five years remaining on his contract. pic.twitter.com/arPf1NIoTN
— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) August 28, 2026

The hosts got into a very lively discussion about Hellebuyck potentially wanting out of Winnipeg. Wilbon dominated much of the segment, taking aim at Hellebuyck’s playoff performance and questioning the goaltender’s decision to sign a long-term deal with the Jets. He was so flabbergasted by the idea of Hellebuyck abandoning the team after putting up subpar playoff numbers that, in an angry yet tongue-in-cheek moment, he suggested the Jets should ship him off to a team that doesn’t even exist in the NHL.

Wilbon suggested the response from the Jets should be, “You want a trade? Go to hell.”

Wilbon’s comments created quite a reaction among Jets media and fans, and soon after the chat, social media was abuzz with what went down on the show.

461ocean on X wasn’t in agreement with Wilbon, noting, “has never watched one minute of a@NHLJets game. ever.”

MoBe on X said, “I’m just shocked ESPN is talking about hockey and the Jets.”

Connor Hellebuyck: NHL Trade Talk — Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck believes he’s getting better every season. For him, stats are only stats. Why does he feel more dialed in this year?

Since launching on ESPN back in 2001, Pardon The Interruption’s hosts have been known for not holding back their thoughts on teams and players and Wilbon is no stranger to the NHL from his decades of covering all major sports at the Washinton Post from 1980 to 2010, it isn’t the first time he’s had strong hockey-related takes on PTI even though the NHL historically hasn’t been a consistent fixure on the program.

No matter what side of the border, what looks to be the final days of Connor Hellebuyck in Manitoba continues to create discussion in many ways, even on shows that wouldn’t usually be tapped into a public trade request statement well before teams report for training camp across the NHL.

Next: Hellebuyck to Toronto Could Create More Problems Than It Solves