Illegal Curve Hockey: Winnipeg Jets

Connor Hellebuyck publicly confirmed today that he requested a trade from the Winnipeg Jets and believes moving on is the best path forward for himself and his family.

Dave and Drew react to the news and discuss what it means for Hellebuyck’s future, the potential impact on training camp next month, whether going public with the request has reduced the Jets’ leverage, the return they could receive in a trade and more.

Fresh off signing a two-year contract with the Jets last week, we caught up with defenceman Tyrel Bauer as he prepares for his fifth season in Winnipeg. Bauer discussed getting his new deal done, his summer in Manitoba, reflecting on the Moose’s playoff run, head coach Mark Morrison’s comments on his importance to the team, what he’s worked on this summer, using video in his development, the NHL opportunity ahead of him this season, goal setting, what he got up to off the ice and more.

Fresh off signing a five-year deal with the Jets worth 30 million dollars last week, we heard from Winnipeg winger Cole Perfetti on his new contract that will run until the 2031 season.

The offseason was in full swing as we wrapped up another season of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

We discussed the latest Winnipeg Jets news, including the organization's new ECHL affiliation with the Bloomington Bison, the release of the Manitoba Moose schedule, and everything else that happened around the club since Development Camp came to a close. We also took a look at what was still left on the Jets' offseason checklist and whether any more moves could be on the horizon before training camp.

As always, we answered your questions, broke down the biggest stories from around the NHL, and reflected on another season of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

Guest:

Jets play-by-play voice on TSN Dan Robertson at 26:45

New Winnipeg Jets defenceman Mario Ferraro joined the Illegal Curve Hockey Show to discuss his experience as an unrestricted free agent, why he chose to sign with Winnipeg, what he learned about the organization during the process, his thoughts on the Jets' defence, breaking into the NHL alongside Brett Burns, winning a World Championship with Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti, his durability, offseason plans, the evolving NHL, and even his YouTube channel, The Youngest of Plugs.

Topics:

1) What was the process like being a UFA? (:32)

2) What did his July 1st look like? (2:59)

3) How did he come to know that the organization treats players well? (5:11)

4) Assessing the Jets defence (6:34)

5) What was it like to break into the league with Brett Burns? (8:39)

6) Winning a World Championship with Vilardi/Perfetti, guys he knows on team (12:40)

7) His consistency of being available (15:27)

8) Summer plans (17:27)

9) The "new" NHL (19:47)

10) The Youngest of Plugs, his YouTube channel (21:40)

11) Being relied upon by his team when shorthanded (23:38)

The hockey world hasn't slowed down since the NHL Draft and we had it all covered on this week's Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

We looked back at the Jets' 2026 draft class and shared what we learned from watching the organization's newest prospects at Development Camp in Winnipeg. We also dove into the start of NHL free agency, including the additions of Stuart Skinner and Mario Ferraro, discussed what they bring to the club, and examined whether there are more moves still to come.

As always, we covered the latest Jets news, answered your questions, and broke down everything happening around the NHL. Thanks to everyone who joined us for another busy edition of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

Guest:

Jamie Thomas, Jets team reporter at 24:12

Mario Ferraro, Jets defenceman at 1:23:25

We wrapped up the final day of Development Camp with a chat with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff who spoke about the state of his hockey team, the prospects in the system, free agency, Connor Hellebuyck, Shane Doan and more.

Topics:

1) Reflections on Free Agency

2) Any awkwardness dealing with Ray Petkau (agent for Skinner & Hellebuyck)? (:32)

3) What does Wade Flaherty do to get the most out of goalies? (1:47)

4) How much do they lean on Flaherty when bringing goalies in? (2:38)

5) What are areas where they still need to work on? (3:04)

6) What is his to-do list left for free agency? (4:03)

7) What is the plan in goal for the Jets? (5:15)

8) Having the Jets identity known as taking care of their players (5:59)

9) What's the latest on the Connor Hellebuyck front? (7:04)

10) Have other core pieces reached out regarding the "plan to win"? (7:13)

11) What stood out about Viggo Björck this week? (7:30)

12) Does bringing in Skinner impact the conversations about Hellebuyck? (8:07)

13) Did they have any interest in Mavrik Bourque? (8:40)

14) Is Viggo Björck a centre? (9:07)

15) Not bringing in a lot of veteran depth guys = more opportunities (9:49)

16) Was this a unique free agency period? (10:34)

17) The legacy of Jonathan Toews on this organization (11:37)

18) Insight into Shane Doan being brought into the fold? (12:44)

19) Adam Lowry looking to bounce back (13:01)

20) Cole Perfetti's next contract (14:29)

21) Thoughts on the prospects this week (15:10)

Viggo-mania continues to grip Winnipeg after the first-rounder (8th overall) from last weekend ends his first Jets Development Camp. He reflected on his first week in his new hockey home, seeing the passion of the fans, being seen as a centre and more.

On the last day of Dev Camp in Winnipeg we caught up with Minot’s Zach Nehring as the Jets prospect (2023 3rd) reflected on another week in the city. He spoke about his year at Western Michigan, putting on weight this summer, playing in front of his family and more.

Now that the players have been drafted, it's time to focus on development and to that end we heard from Director of Player Development Jimmy Roy following Day 4 on the ice at Development Camp in Winnipeg. He shared plenty of insight into the organization's thoughts on prospect development.