Jets training camp preview: Hellebuyck waiting game continues

The Winnipeg Jets will enter training camp with the eyes of the league trained on Manitoba. Unfortunately, that’s not because the club is expected to be a force in the NHL this season, but due to the fact that franchise goalie Connor Hellebuyck has made public his desire to play for another team.

At a time when hope bubbles in so many hockey burghs around Canada and the U.S., there’s an undeniable black cloud hanging over the Prairies.

All is not lost, however, as Winnipeg looks to bounce back from a disappointing non-playoff showing, one year after finishing atop the standings in 2025-26. Every conversation around the team starts and ends with Hellebuyck, but there’s still plenty to talk about in between. 

Salary cap space: $4,481,668
GM: Kevin Cheveldayoff
Head coach: Scott Arniel
Assistant coaches: Marty Johnston, Davis Payne, Dean Chynoweth, Wade Flaherty
Key additions: Mario Ferraro, D; Stuart Skinner, G
Key subtractions: Eric Comrie, G; Jonathan Toews, C; Gustav Nyqvist, W

What we’ll learn during pre-season:

The summer started with a feeling the Jets could move an unhappy Hellebuyck, then ended with the goalie putting pressure on the organization by publicly confirming he wanted out. Until the situation is resolved, all we know is everyone — including Hellebuyck, likely — will put on a brave face and try to move forward.

While there’s surely a bit of a swimming-duck element to this — calm above the water, furiously paddling underneath — we know GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will not be bullied into anything. Being forced to trade a player is nothing new for Winnipeg’s GM and — from Jacob Trouba to Patrik Laine to Pierre-Luc Dubois — he’s done pretty darn well when cornered before. 

Assuming this ordeal ends in a trade, certainly you’d prefer to make that happen sooner rather than later. We’ve seen some serious in-season blockbusters the past couple years, though, and it’s still better for Cheveldayoff to wait and see who might emerge as a hungry trading partner in coming months rather than settle for a swap he doesn’t like right now.

Until he’s moved, however, all of Manitoba — and a handful of cities around the league who hope to land him — are on Hellebuyck Watch.

The Hellebuyck situation has distracted from the fact that Winnipeg’s annual training camp discussion point — who’s the second-line C? — is once again a pressing one.

The difference this time out, though, is the promise represented by Viggo Björck. The talented Swede was the silver lining of the Jets’ lost season, as Winnipeg — somewhat surprisingly — was able to grab him with the eighth-overall pick. 

Now the question is, how much can you fairly expect from an 18-year-old kid, no matter how talented?

Björck, as one might anticipate, looked fantastic over the weekend in Gatineau, Que., at the NHL Prospect Challenge. Now he must come to main camp and give management and coaching staff reason to believe he’s ready for a prime role on the club. It’s a very high bar to clear and you wonder if, for the good of the player’s long-term development, the Jets will really have to be blown away by Björck to justify keeping him on the club.

If Björck winds up going back to Sweden, one assumes captain Adam Lowry or Vladimir Namestnikov will be the 2C behind top-line guy Mark Scheifele. While that’s not a perfect solution, it’s a reminder that part of what derailed Winnipeg’s season last year was beginning the year without Lowry, winger Cole Perfetti — who inked a big extension in July — and top-four defenceman Dylan Samberg thanks to injuries. 

All three will be ready to go from the drop of the puck this year and that will make a huge difference for the Jets. 

3. What about the happy goalie?

The Jets inked Stuart Skinner as a UFA in July, surely with the idea he could play a huge role for the team given the uncertainty around Hellebuyck. It’s hard to imagine the Jets making a Hellebuyck deal that doesn’t return a goalie, but how Skinner looks and feels in Year 1 with the club could factor into the calculus. While certainly not a no-doubt No. 1 guy, Skinner has loads of experience from his time playing on a Cup contender in Edmonton. At 27 years old, he’s still in a range where you could expect a goalie — especially one with his chops and seasoning — to take a step.

Essentially, the Jets will be watching Skinner to determine if he’s a viable 1A guy you could rely on in a tandem with a similarly skilled puckstopper, or whether he’s more of a true backup who needs to play behind a lead horse. 

Salomonsson, one of the team’s prized prospects, underwent off-season shoulder surgery that seemed like it would delay the beginning of his year. As it stands, there’s a sense Salomonsson could be ready to play sooner than expected.

After two promising pro seasons in North America — including 32 games with the Jets last year — the 22-year-old Swede appears destined for a role on the right side of the third pair beside newcomer Mario Ferraro. It would be a huge boon for the young man and the club itself if Salomonsson can see even a little action in camp and be ready to go for the opening game of the season on Oct. 2 versus the Boston Bruins

On the eve of the season, the Jets will bite down and make an inter-division trade with the Utah Mammoth that sends Hellebuyck south and returns goalie Karel Vejmelka and heralded centre prospect Caleb Desnoyers. The tandem of Vejmelka and Skinner works well enough to allow Winnipeg — with its usual top-line production and structured defensive play — to grab the final playoff spot in the underwhelming Western Conference. 

Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Gabe Vilardi
Cole Perfetti — Vladimir Namestnikov — Alex Iaffalo
Nino Niederreiter — Adam Lowry — Brad Lambert
Cole Koepke — Morgan Barron — Isak Rosen

Josh Morrissey — Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg — Neal Pionk
Mario Ferraro — Elias Salomonsson
Hadyn Fleury