The Edmonton Oilers surface as a landing spot in a new Connor Hellebuyck trade proposal built around Devon Levi and Viljami Marjala, proposed by NHL analyst Jackson Scherger of The Hockey Writers.
Scherger floated the idea on Monday, four days after Hellebuyck’s camp made his desire to leave Winnipeg official, leaving the Jets to sort through suitors for a three-time Vezina winner still owed five more years at $8.5 million annually.
Scherger’s proposed offer sends Levi, Marjala and a 2028 first- and third-round pick to Winnipeg in exchange for Hellebuyck and a 2027 sixth-rounder. The trade idea asks the Oilers to flip a goalie they acquired just two months ago alongside one of the organization’s more productive young forwards.
Hellebuyck’s representatives went public with the trade request on Aug. 27, and the goaltender has since indicated he is open to a wide range of destinations. Edmonton was not an obvious name in that conversation given its own crowded crease, but The Hockey Writers column argues the fit works if the Oilers pay in futures rather than NHL-ready talent.
Connor Hellebuyck’s Resume and the Prospects InvolvedGettyThe Edmonton Oilers’ Devon Levi while still with the Buffalo Sabres.Hellebuyck, 33, has spent his entire 11-year career in Winnipeg after arriving as a fifth-round pick out of UMass Lowell. He owns three Vezina Trophies, a 2025 Hart Trophy and Olympic gold with Team USA, though a November knee surgery contributed to a rough 2025-26 season in which he went 23-23-11 with a .895 save percentage. His career numbers still stand out, at 345 wins, a 2.58 goals-against average and 45 shutouts over 625 appearances.
Levi, 24, landed in Edmonton on July 1 in a trade that sent him from Buffalo, arriving with a reputation built at Northeastern University but only 39 career NHL games to his name.
He did not play in the league at all in 2025-26, instead posting a 23-20-9 record for AHL Rochester.
Marjala, 23, was drafted by Buffalo in the fifth round in 2021 and signed with the Oilers after the Sabres did not keep his rights. He produced 60 points in 72 games for AHL Bakersfield, making him the centerpiece Edmonton would be most reluctant to part with.
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Financial and Competitive Stakes for Both SidesWinnipeg would shed Hellebuyck’s $8.5 million cap hit for roughly $1.8 million combined between Levi and Marjala, both of whom expire as restricted free agents after this season. The Jets currently carry only about $5.5 million in cap space, and the swap would free significant room behind newly signed Stuart Skinner.
For Edmonton, adding Hellebuyck means absorbing a long-term, high-dollar contract inside a still-open championship window built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The upside is obvious. A Hart and Vezina-caliber goaltender replaces years of postseason volatility in the net. The cost is steep beyond the dollars, too. Hellebuyck’s remaining no-move clause means he would first have to approve any move to Edmonton, and surrendering both Levi and Marjala would thin the Oilers’ goaltending pipeline.
Winnipeg, meanwhile, already has a Hellebuyck contingency plan in place. The Jets signed Skinner to a two-year deal on July 1, giving Levi a path to a legitimate tandem role rather than a crowded depth chart.
Whether Levi and Marjala, neither of whom has established himself as a full-time NHL contributor, would actually satisfy Winnipeg General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff remains the open question.
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