Jets draft – With the Winnipeg Jets picking eighth in the 2026 NHL Draft, the plan for that selection may depend on whether franchise goalie Connor Hellebuyck is moved before Friday’s first-round begins. Everything from Winnipeg’s need for a draft hit to how the trade mark
The Winnipeg Jets don’t just have an eighth-overall pick in front of them. They have a spotlight—and it’s trained, for now, on Connor Hellebuyck.
After a disappointing season, the Jets are drafting as high as they have in a decade, and the pressure is immediate: Winnipeg hasn’t had a true first-round “home run” in years, and the club’s future hopes are tied to landing something substantial at No. 8.
The stakes feel personal because of what the Jets built their early “Winnipeg 2.0” around. From 2011 through 2015. Winnipeg hit over and over in the first round—Mark Scheifele (seventh overall in 2011). Jacob Trouba (ninth in 2012). Josh Morrissey (13th in 2013). Nikolaj Ehlers (ninth in 2014) and Kyle Connor (17th in 2015). In 2016, the franchise added another impact pick with Patrik Laine taken second overall.
Since then, the results have been more muted. It’s still too early to fully judge more recent choices, but the Jets have generally been selecting largely in the 15-to-30 range, and nothing close to the earlier run has arrived.
So here they are again—hoping to add a new franchise pillar after a season that didn’t deliver the kind of bounce-back year fans expect.
If the Jets stay put with the No. 8 pick, they’ll still have to decide what they value most. The club has a recent reminder that drafting preference can collide with real-world outcomes: Rutger McGroarty was taken 14th overall in 2022. declined to sign with the Winnipeg organization. and eventually led to a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That history matters because the current conversation in Winnipeg is tangled up with geography and timing as much as hockey. The possibility that Hellebuyck—who won the 2025 Hart Trophy—isn’t simply a part of the team’s present. but potentially part of the Jets’ next reshaping. sits at the center of the draft debate.
Hellebuyck’s name is at the top of the most recent trade board from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, and if Winnipeg moves him before Friday night, it could dramatically alter what return the team is aiming for—especially in any swap involving the No. 8 selection.
For now, the draft calendar is clear. Live NHL Draft coverage is set to begin with the first round on Friday, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Saturday, with the next group of NHL stars entering the league.
Where the Jets go at No. 8 may be determined by what they believe happens to their roster first.
What would a draft “hit” even look like at this point?. The talk around Winnipeg was once that the club might add a future second-line center—something that has long been described as a black hole in Manitoba—with its top selection. But those odds took a hit when the Calgary Flames, holding pick No. 6, acquired young defenceman Simon Nemec from New Jersey. With Nemec now in Calgary’s mix. the Flames are more likely to look toward someone like Swedish pivot Viggo Björck. a riser who may be gone by the time Calgary picks. And with the other highly ranked center, Caleb Malhotra, expected to be off the board by pick No. 5, the Jets are likely looking at a defenceman being the best player available at No. 8.
Two strong possibilities for Winnipeg are both right-shot defencemen. and the added appeal is that they’re both big. western Canadian prospects. Keaton Verhoeff—listed at six-foot-four and 215 pounds—was ranked at the very top of this draft back in the fall. but has been surpassed by other names during his freshman season with North Dakota. The pitch on Verhoeff is simple: he’s viewed as a safe bet to become a valuable member of an NHL defence corps. and if his offence and skating uptick even a little. he could become the kind of total-package player teams regret passing over.
The other right-shot option is Daxon Rudolph, nearly six-foot-three, also built for the kind of defensive game Winnipeg tends to covet. He’s described as knowing his way around every corner of the rink and could become a top-four fixture.
A third righty from western Canada is also expected to be in the conversation: Ryan Lin. though he’s not as big as Rudolph or Verhoeff. If physicality is the priority—as it usually is in the NHL—then it’s worth paying attention to whether two left-shot defencemen slip through the first seven picks. Alberts Smits. a Latvian standing nearly six-foot-three. has already shown he can compete against men at the Olympics and world championship. Carson Carels, a Canadian, brings an aggressive game in a six-foot-one package.
Still, the Jets wouldn’t necessarily have to limit themselves to defence. The dice-roll could also include Tynan Lawrence, a Canadian center. He’s described as having average size. and his draft-eligible season included a scuffle in the back half after moving to Boston University from the United States Hockey League. But if those struggles are treated as a blip, Winnipeg could be betting on long-term upside up the middle.
The “dream” scenario is straightforward: Swedish defenceman Viggo Björck falling to eight if there’s a run on defencemen ahead of Winnipeg.
Winnipeg’s recent drafting path offers another clue to why this matters. The Jets took rangy Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne with the 28th pick in 2025. Boumedienne had a fantastic 2025 U-18 World Championship. but his production hasn’t matched that momentum during two seasons of NCAA play. Now. the next step is a change of scenery: Boumedienne is transferring from Boston University to Ohio State for next season. moving back to a place he’s familiar with. His father. Josef. used to work in the Columbus Blue Jackets front office. and Boumedienne played youth hockey in the state. With the junior campaign coming next. everyone involved will be hoping the move back to Ohio helps his game take the next step.
That draft day uncertainty runs right up against the live pressure of roster construction. If the Jets do manage a Hellebuyck blockbuster. the idea is that it would return key pieces at forward and defence. Then—after the chaos—there’s also a specific cap-management picture being painted around Adin Hill. with the suggestion that Winnipeg could buy low as the Vegas Golden Knights look to clear space by moving the 30-year-old goaltender.
The Jets are still awaiting Friday’s first-round decisions, but the direction of Winnipeg’s future could begin earlier than the puck drop at the draft podium. For a franchise trying to find its next pillar, whether Hellebuyck stays or goes may end up defining what No. 8 is really for.
Winnipeg Jets 2026 NHL Draft Connor Hellebuyck No. 8 overall pick NHL Draft preview Keaton Verhoeff Daxon Rudolph Ryan Lin Alberts Smits Carson Carels Tynan Lawrence Viggo Björck Simon Nemec Caleb Malhotra Sascha Boumedienne Adin Hill Vegas Golden Knights