Winnipeg Jets fans, you\u2019re about to be judged.<\/p>\n
We took your trade proposals to a panel of NHL sources \u2014 the ones who negotiate contracts, work with superstars, and make real-life blockbusters \u2014 and asked them for their uncensored thoughts.<\/p>\n
One NHL source called Connor Hellebuyck \u201cthe best goaltender in the league\u201d and demanded more assets in exchange for him. Another said the Jets\u2019 No. 8 pick should \u201cabsolutely\u201d be in play, given the impetus to win with Winnipeg\u2019s aging core \u2014 Hellebuyck included. Others dissected your boldest ideas for Robert Thomas, Elias Pettersson, and Mason McTavish, along with so many more.<\/p>\n
When it comes to your top Jets trades, who says no?<\/p>\n
Notes: Trade proposals were edited for length and clarity. NHL sources were granted anonymity to speak freely on real players. None of the anonymous sources were Winnipeg Jets employees.<\/p>\n
Jets send their 2026 first-round pick (No. 8), third-round pick (No. 71), Brayden Yager, and Elias Salomonsson to St. Louis for Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and a mid-round 2026 pick \u2014 Cam P.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Thomas can get you the equivalent of two first-round picks. I think Kyrou could get close to that, too,\u201d said a former league executive, before noting the no-trade clauses of each Blues forward. I asked how he viewed the Jets package Cam built for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best piece coming back is the No. 8 pick,\u201d he said. \u201cYager\u2019s value isn\u2019t high anymore. Salomonsson\u2019s is good, but it\u2019s not quite that first-round pick type of asset. He might get you Colton Parayko (if he waived his no-trade clause) but there\u2019s nothing in that package to get you Thomas and Kyrou.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verdict:\u00a0Winnipeg says yes, enthusiastically. St. Louis says no, with similar gusto.<\/p>\n
Would a trade that sent the No. 8 pick to Seattle for Shane Wright and Seattle\u2019s second-round (No. 38) pick be equal value? \u2014 Dylan M.<\/p>\n
Two sources chewed on Dylan\u2019s proposal for a good, long while, and seemed to like it. Shane Wright isn\u2019t viewed as a star prospect anymore, but he\u2019s still 22 years old and has 78 points in 169 NHL games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think either team says no,\u201d said an NHL executive. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that trade if I were Winnipeg but I think that\u2019s roughly the price (Wright) ends up going for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeattle says yes. Winnipeg waits to see who\u2019s available at 8 before doing it and then they probably do, too,\u201d said the former league executive. \u201cIf you think you\u2019re getting a top pairing (defenceman) at 8, you probably don\u2019t do it. Winnipeg needs to be in the business of acquiring young, cost-controlled players. That\u2019s how you get your star players. Shane Wright is below that tier, but I understand (Dylan\u2019s) idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
The one thing I\u2019d add is that Seattle would have to be OK betting on the future instead of a roster-ready piece (or be willing to trade the No. 7 or No. 8 pick for immediate help).<\/p>\n
Verdict:\u00a0Doable!<\/p>\n
Connor Hellebuyck to Edmonton for Leon Draisaitl, straight up. Then: Robert Thomas from St. Louis for the Jets\u2019 first-round pick this year and Buffalo\u2019s second-round pick next year. Then: Adin Hill from Vegas for Cole Perfetti. \u2014 Stuart Z.<\/p>\n
The logic behind Stuart\u2019s proposals makes sense, entirely from Winnipeg\u2019s perspective, but no one I asked about it let me get past the Hellebuyck for Draisaitl part.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Hellebuyck,\u201d said the NHL executive, \u201cBut yeah, no, Edmonton\u2019s not doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m waiting for you to tell me you\u2019re joking,\u201d I was told, but I wasn\u2019t joking.<\/p>\n
Verdict:\u00a0Edmonton says no.<\/p>\n
Connor Hellebuyck, Brad Lambert, Kevin He, and Buffalo\u2019s 2027 second-round pick to Buffalo for Owen Power, Devon Levi, and Peyton Krebs \u2014 Scott M.<\/p>\n
Scott has identified a team that needs a goaltending upgrade and has several great defencemen, a top goaltending prospect, and a former Winnipeg Ice star in Peyton Krebs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re trading a great player, the mindset should be, \u2018Who\u2019s the best player we\u2019re getting back?\u2019 instead of focusing on the number of pieces,\u201d said the former executive. \u201cThe best piece here is Owen Power, who has top-pairing potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHellebuyck might say yes,\u201d he continued, citing what he called \u201cThe Team USA conspiracy\u201d and Olympian Tage Thompson\u2019s presence on the team. It was tongue-in-cheek, but he went on to point out Winnipeg\u2019s long track record of deals with Buffalo. His conclusion was that Winnipeg would sign off on it but that Buffalo might not move Power.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Buffalo does that, if they can afford it (cap wise),\u201d said the executive. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that if I was Winnipeg, but I think Buffalo might.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verdict: When you have NHL trade-makers arguing both sides, you can\u2019t be too far away.<\/p>\n
Connor Hellebuyck to Florida for Anton Lundell and the No. 9 pick \u2014 Jeffrey M.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jeffrey\u2019s trade gives Winnipeg a No. 2 centre and back-to-back picks in the 2026 draft. It gives Hellebuyck sunshine, the absence of state taxes, and the opportunity to play for an elite team that\u2019s won two out of the last three Cups. Who says no?<\/p>\n
\u201cLundell is an awfully good player. That said, my guess is Florida says no and finds a way to keep Bob,\u201d said our league executive. \u201cBut whoa, that\u2019s interesting. Winnipeg would be much harder to play against.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think both teams should say yes,\u201d said an NHL player agent. \u201cThe Jets need to reset their cap commitments and aren\u2019t in a great Cup window. They\u2019d get a great young centre in Lundell and another great player at No. 9.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Jets say\u00a0maybe,\u201d said the former league executive. \u201cIf Hellebuyck really does want to be traded, then that\u2019s a solid return. But if you had a situation where Florida knew it was the only option, then they\u2019re not paying Lundell for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can see the logic. If Winnipeg does trade Hellebuyck, it will do better if it can create a bidding war for his services. If Hellebuyck\u2019s list ever came down to a single team, the Jets would be in a difficult spot.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s tuck a reality check into our discussion. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s in Hellebuyck\u2019s head. My interpretation of his end-of-season comments was that he badly wanted the Jets to make upgrades \u2014 not that he was automatically out the door at this stage. The fact that teams call about him doesn\u2019t mean he wants out.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery star player acts that way. It\u2019s pretty common with great players. (Hellebuyck\u2019s exit interview) was not a crazy thing to say at all. Careers are short,\u201d said the executive.<\/p>\n
If Winnipeg made a trade like this, the questions become, \u201cWho\u2019s your goalie?\u201d and \u201cWhat do the Jets\u2019 other star players think?\u201d but Lundell would be a strong return. Winnipeg could always use the No. 9 pick in another trade.<\/p>\n
Verdict:\u00a0I think this pitch is in the strike zone, too. Add goaltending prospect Kirill Gerasimyuk, and I\u2019m sold.<\/p>\n
Are there any teams out there looking for a veteran stabilizer like Nino Niederreiter or Vladislav Namestnikov? Would they give up a pick of some kind? Who says no? \u2014 Tyler W.<\/p>\n
Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov\u2019s names came up a lot in this exercise, probably due to the huge step backward each one of them took in terms of offensive production this season.\u00a0The NHL sources we spoke to responded with \u201cnot so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re subtracting two popular players from a dressing room. Both signed there, chose to be there. There\u2019s got to be a better reason to trade them than to play middling prospects,\u201d said the former executive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was Winnipeg, I\u2019d hang on to Nino,\u201d said the executive. \u201cPucks didn\u2019t go in for him but I think there\u2019s a good chance of him bouncing back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verdict: Winnipeg says no<\/p>\n
Anaheim trades Mason McTavish and a sixth-round pick to Winnipeg for Colby Barlow, Markus Loponen, Edmonton\u2019s fourth-round pick (2026), and Buffalo\u2019s second-round pick (2027). \u2014 Adam B.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think McTavish can be a useful player in your top nine,\u201d said the former league executive. \u201cIf you need to win next year, then you\u2019re subtracting nothing that helps you next year and you\u2019re adding someone who might. But I don\u2019t think (Adam\u2019s proposal) is enough. Anaheim says no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Anaheim does it but I think Winnipeg should be grateful for it,\u201d said the executive. \u201cI think it\u2019s a better bet for a team that knows it won\u2019t make the playoffs next year to gamble on his upside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verdict:\u00a0Anaheim says no.<\/p>\n
Dylan Samberg to San Jose for the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft \u2014 AavcoCup A.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t get that pick for Samberg,\u201d I was told by the former exec.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinnipeg would have to make that trade,\u201d said a current executive. \u201cBut San Jose would say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verdict: San Jose says no.<\/p>\n
Elias Pettersson (no salary retention) from Vancouver for Buffalo\u2019s 2027 second-round pick, Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, and a lower-tier prospect. \u2014 Mike F.<\/p>\n
Elias Pettersson is a compelling gamble for so many reasons. The pros are his 102- and 89-point seasons, his relative youth at 27, and the belief that the six years left on his $11.6 million contract would reduce his acquisition cost. The cons are Pettersson\u2019s 96 points in his last 138 games, an eye test that suggests he doesn\u2019t attack as effectively as he used to<\/a>, and concerns about his offseason preparation<\/a>.<\/p>\n In real life, Pettersson would say no, given his full no-movement clause. What about our NHL sources?<\/p>\n \u201cVancouver says no. (The Canucks) are in a complete rebuild and need to get assets back which help. Why not keep playing him, hoping he goes off again and they get more than that?\u201d said the former executive.<\/p>\n Multiple sources agreed that the Jets aren\u2019t the type of high-risk, high-reward team that takes a swing at a player like Pettersson.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody\u2019s going to take that gamble. I don\u2019t like it, but somebody will. I think it\u2019s best if it\u2019s a team that\u2019s rebuilding \u2014 one that doesn\u2019t need to make the playoffs right away for it to work,\u201d said an agent.<\/p>\n Verdict: I\u2019d do it if I were Winnipeg but, in this case, the Canucks, Jets, and Pettersson all say no.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Winnipeg Jets fans, you\u2019re about to be judged. We took your trade proposals to a panel of NHL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":734194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073,449],"class_list":["post-734193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg","tag-winnipeg-jets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/734194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}