What a difference a year makes.
Twelve months ago, the Winnipeg Jets were flying high, capturing the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history. It felt like a turning point - a team that had long flirted with potential finally breaking through.
Sure, the playoff run didn’t go as planned - a tough first-round battle with St. Louis followed by a six-game exit at the hands of Dallas - but the message was clear: Winnipeg had arrived.
Fast forward to today, and the story couldn’t be more different. The Jets are sitting eighth in the Central Division with a 19-22-5 record and just 43 points.
Only the Vancouver Canucks are keeping them from the bottom of the Western Conference standings. It’s been a steep fall, and while there’s plenty of blame to go around, a big piece of it lands squarely in the blue paint.
Hellebuyck’s Fall from MVP to Question Mark
Last season, Connor Hellebuyck was simply sensational. He didn’t just lead the league - he dominated it.
League-best marks in wins (47), goals-against average (2.00), and goals saved above average (41.6), all while posting a .925 save percentage. That kind of performance isn’t just Vezina-worthy - it earned him the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
He joined an elite club of goaltenders to claim both in the same season: Jacques Plante, Dominik Hasek (twice), Jose Theodore, and Carey Price. That’s hallowed ground.
But this season? It’s been a different story.
Hellebuyck started strong, looking every bit the goalie who carried the Jets last year. Through his first nine starts, he went 6-3-0 with a .921 save percentage.
Then came the turning point: a minor arthroscopic knee procedure in late November that sidelined him for nearly a month. At the time, Winnipeg was still in a decent spot - 12-8-0 and third in the Central.
Since returning on December 13, though, Hellebuyck hasn’t looked like himself. In 14 games, he’s gone 4-6-4 with a 2.94 GAA and a .887 save percentage.
His season average now sits at .901 - the lowest of his career. For a goalie who’s been the backbone of this franchise for nearly a decade, that’s a glaring concern.
The Backbone of a Contender
To understand just how much Hellebuyck has meant to the Jets, you have to go back a few years. Before he took over as the full-time starter in 2017-18, goaltending was a revolving door in Winnipeg.
Ondrej Pavelec struggled to hold the net, and backups like Michael Hutchinson and Al Montoya couldn’t provide stability. From 2011-12 to 2016-17, the Jets had the fourth-worst save percentage in the NHL (.904) and made the playoffs just once - a quick four-game sweep by Anaheim in 2015.
Then came Hellebuyck.
In his first season with over 60 starts, he helped the Jets to their first 50-win campaign and a trip to the Western Conference Final. His .924 save percentage and league-leading 14.0 goalie point share (GPS) were a big reason why. Since then, he’s been the constant - the reason Winnipeg stayed relevant even when the offense didn’t click.
Take 2022-23 and 2023-24, for example. The Jets ranked 21st and 15th in goals scored in those seasons.
Not exactly lighting the lamp. But Hellebuyck posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA, dragging Winnipeg into the playoffs by sheer will.
That’s the kind of goaltender he’s been - the kind who turns a fringe playoff team into a legitimate threat. But even the best can’t do it alone forever.
The Playoff Puzzle
For all his regular-season brilliance, Hellebuyck’s postseason track record is more complicated. His career playoff save percentage sits at .903 - not terrible, but not elite.
And over the Jets’ last three playoff runs (2022-23 through 2024-25), that number has dipped to .870. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team trying to chase a Stanley Cup.
It raises a fair question: has Hellebuyck’s excellence masked deeper issues within the roster? Or, conversely, has the lack of support - both offensively and defensively - limited his ability to carry the team deeper into the playoffs?
The Bigger Picture in Winnipeg
This season’s struggles go beyond just Hellebuyck. The Jets lost top scorer Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency last summer, and they never really replaced his production.
The offseason additions haven’t panned out either - Jonathan Toews, for one, has been a swing and a miss. The roster, once deep and balanced, now feels thin and aging.
With the team sitting well outside the playoff picture, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is staring down some tough decisions. Is this core worth keeping together? Or is it time to start thinking about a reset?
It’s a harsh reality, but without Hellebuyck playing at a Vezina level, the cracks in the foundation are starting to show. The goaltender who once carried them to the league’s best record now finds himself battling inconsistency, injury recovery, and the weight of a franchise trying to find its way back.
The Jets are at a crossroads. And whether they soar again or continue to spiral may depend, once again, on the man between the pipes.