The Winnipeg Jets may be without the reigning Hart Trophy winner for the foreseeable future.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Friday that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is slated to be out for four-to-six weeks as he recovers from a “minor arthroscopic knee procedure.”
Hellebuyck, who has won the Vezina Trophy in three of the last six seasons, is coming off a 2024-25 campaign where he finished with a 47-12-3 record, a 2.00 goals against average (GAA) and .925 save percentage (SV%), one of the best goaltending campaigns in modern NHL history.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discuss Hellebuyck’s absence and what it will mean for a Winnipeg group that hopes to go on a playoff run.
Tyler Yaremchuk: There are two ways that this can go: Either you play passable, good hockey and get good results over these four-to-six weeks, then you ease Hellebuyck back into things, and Eric Comrie is feeling confident. Maybe we look back at this in five months and say, “Wow, they basically gave Hellebuyck a chance to reset in the middle of the season,” and come playoff time, he’ll be rested.
But then there’s a downside to this: Let’s say they go 7-13 in those 20 games, then Hellebuyck returns and you’re fighting for a playoff spot. It might be that they force him to play every single game because they need to get back in the mix.
Carter Hutton: That is concerning, and for me, that is a factor when we talk about this year’s Olympics and trade deadline. How are you going to work your guys in? There’s that factor of getting into the playoffs.
At the end of the day, if the Jets want to get over the hump and make it to a Stanley Cup Final, he’s going to have to be at his best. I think it’s concerning from all factors, but opportunities come in weird ways.
