Kyle Connor Makes Feelings Clear On Connor Hellebuyck After Stunning Winnipeg Jets Departure

Jets forward Kyle Connor reacts to Connor Hellebuyck trade© Instagram/@@kyleconnor

The Connor Hellebuyck saga in Winnipeg is over. On Saturday, the Jets traded their franchise goaltender to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 seventh-rounder, and injured forward Nick Bjugstad. The deal closed out months of tension that started when Hellebuyck requested a trade and refused to report to Training Camp, earning a suspension from the organisation. Hours later, with the Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens on the horizon, forward Kyle Connor made it pretty clear how he feels about the whole situation.

Kyle Connor's Pointed Response Says More Than the Words

He didn't take a run at Hellebuyck. He didn't need to.

“Super excited to get the guys we have in the fold who want to be here and want to be part of Winnipeg Jets hockey,” Connor said via Mike McIntyre on X.

Four words did most of the work. Want to be here. Said by a guy who shared a room with Hellebuyck for years, played alongside him on Team USA, and watched the whole drawn-out exit from inside the building. Connor knows exactly how these things read. He's been in this league long enough to understand that you don't have to call someone out to make the point land. You just draw the contrast and let it sit.

And it sits. Hellebuyck made no secret of wanting out. He held out, collected a suspension, and ran the clock until a deal got done. Connor's framing of the incoming players as guys who want to be there wasn't accidental phrasing. It was deliberate. Clean, professional, and pointed in exactly the right spot.

This is a franchise that went to the 2018 Western Conference Final with Hellebuyck carrying the load in net. Whatever complicated feelings linger in that locker room don't usually surface in front of cameras. Connor gave them an outlet without burning anything down.

Hellebuyck in Jersey, Jets Moving On

Hellebuyck didn't hold back in his first Devils press conference either. He sounded like someone who had been cooped up too long and finally had somewhere to go.

“Sitting at home for so long was getting to me. For myself, I'm just really excited to play hockey again,” he said. “I'm joining a very skilled group. They brought me for a certain specific role. I'm really excited to fill that role, not only on the ice but off the ice as well.”

No residual bitterness. No shots back at Winnipeg. Just a guy who wanted a change, got it, and is ready to play. Whatever the behind-the-scenes friction looked like, he's not carrying it onto the ice in Newark.

Back in Winnipeg, the questions about the return package won't go away quietly. A lot of people looked at that haul and raised an eyebrow. Trading a legitimate franchise-level goaltender and walking away with a middle-six forward, a backup goalie, a prospect, and two late picks is a conversation the front office will be having for a while. But inside the room, that doesn't appear to be the mood. Connor's comments weren't just a dig, they were a signal. The Jets seem genuinely unbothered by who left. What matters now is who's staying, and who actually wants to be there.