The NHL offseason just got a lot more interesting.
Connor Hellebuyck has publicly confirmed that he wants out of Winnipeg, turning months of NHL trade rumors into one of the league’s biggest unresolved stories heading toward training camp. At the same time, the Colorado Avalanche appear to be closing in on a potentially massive Cale Makar contract extension, Macklin Celebrini has explained why he did not chase the NHL’s maximum allowable salary, and the Edmonton Oilers are dealing with a surprising cluster of injuries before camp even begins.
That’s a remarkable amount of significant NHL News for late August.
The biggest question now surrounds Winnipeg. Hellebuyck has considerable control over where he goes, and his $8.5 million cap hit means contenders cannot simply make Winnipeg an attractive offer and worry about the money later. Buffalo, Carolina, New Jersey, Vegas and San Jose have all surfaced in discussion surrounding potential landing spots, but their cap situations vary dramatically.
NHL News Today: Connor Hellebuyck Trade Request Changes Everything for Winnipeg
Hellebuyck confirmed through agent Ray Petkau that his request was not something that suddenly appeared this week.
“Several months ago, I privately requested a trade,” Hellebuyck said.
The Winnipeg Jets subsequently acknowledged that Hellebuyck has communicated his desire for a change while saying there was no new update regarding negotiations.
That distinction matters.
Winnipeg has apparently had time to explore the market. Going public does not necessarily create a trade tomorrow, but it changes the pressure surrounding general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. Every day Hellebuyck remains a Jet during training camp will produce another round of questions about his future.
Hellebuyck, 33, carries an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31 and has a full no-movement clause for the coming season. He also brings a résumé few available goaltenders could match: three Vezina Trophies, the 2025 Hart Trophy and Olympic gold with Team USA in 2026.
NHLTradeRumor.com Hellebuyck Trade Fit and Salary-Cap Model
The following is an original NHLTradeRumor.com editorial model, not a report of an actual offer. It weights immediate cap fit at 35%, roster need at 25%, available trade capital at 25% and competitive/no-movement-clause fit at 15%.
Sportsnet currently lists Buffalo at just over $5 million in cap space, New Jersey at approximately $3.85 million and Carolina at just under $10 million. That means Carolina is the only one of those three that could theoretically absorb Hellebuyck’s $8.5 million cap hit outright without first making another cap-clearing move.
My read is that Buffalo remains the fascinating team to watch. Sportsnet reported that Winnipeg and Buffalo discussed Hellebuyck around the draft and that Hellebuyck would have been willing to waive his clause to join the Sabres. Buffalo now has the competitive roster, prospect capital and draft assets to revisit those talks.
Carolina might be the cleaner cap fit, but Winnipeg’s return still matters. Cheveldayoff cannot approach this simply as a salary dump when the player being moved is arguably the most accomplished goaltender available in years.
Cale Makar Contract Extension Could Reset the NHL Defense Market
Colorado’s next move could have repercussions well beyond Denver.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Avalanche are closing in on an extension with Cale Makar. As of this update, official financial terms have not been announced, so any specific salary figure should still be treated as speculation.
Makar is entering the final season of the six-year, $54 million contract he signed in 2021, carrying a $9 million AAV. He produced 20 goals and 79 points in 75 games last season while helping Colorado win the Presidents’ Trophy. He has already won two Norris Trophies and has been a finalist for the award six consecutive times.
The timing is particularly interesting because the upper boundary of the NHL’s superstar market keeps rising.
Macklin Celebrini’s five-year, $94 million extension carries an NHL-record $18.8 million AAV, while Sportsnet notes that the current maximum permissible salary is $20.8 million. That doesn’t mean Makar automatically lands within that range, but his negotiations could establish an important benchmark for elite defensemen.
From my perspective, Colorado has almost no incentive to get cute with this negotiation. Players who can drive offence, transition play and possession from the blue line at Makar’s level are nearly impossible to replace.
Macklin Celebrini Explains His Record Sharks Contract
Celebrini also made NHL News Friday after explaining the thinking behind his historic San Jose Sharks extension.
The 20-year-old signed for five years and $94 million after exploding for 45 goals, 70 assists and 115 points in 82 games during his sophomore season.
Despite carrying the largest AAV in league history, Celebrini could technically have pushed for even more.
“I’m committed to this team and this organization,” he told NHL.com while explaining that preserving some financial flexibility for San Jose mattered during negotiations.
That should be encouraging for Sharks fans. San Jose isn’t merely paying a superstar; its franchise centre is already thinking about the roster that needs to be built around him.
Oilers Injury Trouble Arrives Before Training Camp
Meanwhile, things have become uncomfortable in Edmonton before Mike Babcock has even run his first full training camp.
The Oilers announced that Frederik Andersen, Matt Savoie, Mattias Janmark and Alec Regula will miss training camp because of injuries. General manager Stan Bowman told Sportsnet that the club is not panicking and suggested Savoie’s absence should be considerably shorter than Andersen’s.
Andersen’s situation deserves the most attention because Edmonton brought him in to stabilize its goaltending.
The Oilers also added another experienced hockey mind Thursday, hiring Misha Donskov as a coaching consultant. Donskov previously worked with the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights and later the Dallas Stars while also building an extensive résumé with Hockey Canada. He will continue in his Hockey Canada role while spending selected days with Edmonton.
The combination tells me Edmonton wants to use September as more than a routine camp. There are new voices, meaningful roster openings created by injuries and significant pressure to rebound.
Canucks Add Chris Driedger With Thatcher Demko’s Status Uncertain
Vancouver also added insurance in goal by signing Chris Driedger to a professional tryout agreement.
The 32-year-old spent last season in the KHL and owns a .917 save percentage across 67 career NHL games. More importantly, Sportsnet reports that Thatcher Demko’s injury status remains uncertain heading toward training camp.
A PTO costs Vancouver very little while providing another experienced option if Demko’s recovery takes longer than expected.
That isn’t necessarily an indication that Vancouver expects Demko to miss significant time, but it is exactly the type of quiet late-August move that can become much more meaningful once camp begins.
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