Connor Hellebuyck’s return to Winnipeg came with a twist: he won’t be the one in net Tuesday night, after the Devils said they were making a change because of a potential “reduction in our expected win probability.”
Even without the start, Hellebuyck still met the Winnipeg media and used the afternoon to address the trade request that eventually sent him out of the organization that drafted him in 2012. He made clear that his feelings for the city and the fan base haven’t disappeared.
“I want to speak to the love I have for this city and the connection I’ve had with the community, connection I’ve had with the fans,” Hellebuyck said. “I’ve had all my career accomplishments here, and I don’t want any of this to change any of that. I still feel like I have a lot of relationships here and close friends that mean a lot to me.”
The resume he built in Winnipeg is hard to argue with. Hellebuyck won three Vezina Trophies as the NHL’s top goalie and also took home the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2025. From his first full NHL season, the Michigan native was right there among the best at his position.
The team success, though, never fully matched the individual hardware. Winnipeg won only five playoff series with Hellebuyck in goal, and his postseason numbers tell the story too: a career playoff save percentage of .903, with his last three runs ending at .886, .870 and .866.
He also pointed to the broader arc of the last year, when he helped Team USA win its first Olympic gold medal since 1980 while the Jets missed the playoffs. Hellebuyck was one of several players on that American team who later asked for trades from their NHL clubs, along with Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk.
“I’ve alluded to this a little bit,” Hellebuyck said. “This was a complex decision and a very difficult one.
There’s no one singular moment that wasn’t important in all of this decision-making, and this is over a span of time. I will say with all the uncertainty I was experiencing, there was some moments and some things that happened to my family that for me crossed the line, and as a husband and a father, I felt made that decision very certain.”
Now in New Jersey, Hellebuyck is under contract for the next four seasons after this one, and the early results have been strong. He’s 5-0-0 with a .913 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average, numbers that look every bit like the kind of goaltending that can push the Devils into Stanley Cup contender territory.
He said he did want to play Tuesday and made that clear in a conversation with the team.
“They handle their business differently than I’m used to,” Hellebuyck explained. “I went in there and I said my piece, and I said I felt it was my duty to play this game. I want to play, and I had a good conversation with [head coach Sheldon Keefe] and Sunny [Mehta], and I left that conversation understanding where they’re at.”
After the Devils announced Jake Allen would start instead, Kyle Connor and head coach Scott Arniel both voiced frustration that Winnipeg fans wouldn’t get the closure of seeing Hellebuyck in the crease against his former team. Arniel went as far as to say Hellebuyck had given up on the Jets.
Hellebuyck said he understood why emotions were running hot.
“Obviously from an emotional standpoint that hurts,” Hellebuyck said of Arniel’s comment. “But I understand.
There’s a lot of emotions going on right now. I feel them myself.”
He also closed with a line that captured the complicated nature of the whole split.
“The day I said I was a Jet for life, I meant it,” Hellebuyck added. “But I also didn’t foresee the future that was going to happen.”
In Other News...
Hellebuyck Just Added A Painful Twist To His Jets Exit
Connor Hellebuycks trade request from the Winnipeg Jets has taken on a more personal edge, with the goaltender saying the decision was shaped by a complicated set of factors rather than one simple grievance. He acknowledged the challenges of being an American player in Canada, but said those issues were not the main reason he wanted out, leaving the impression that there was more behind the move than the usual hockey frustrations.
What he did make clear was that the situation had become difficult enough to involve his family, though he stopped short of going into specifics out of concern for their privacy. Now, with the New Jersey Devils ruling him out of their upcoming game in Winnipeg, the return trip has already taken on an awkward tone, and the full story of what pushed him to that point still remains out of public view. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Must Wait Longer For Connor Hellebuyck's Winnipeg Return
Connor Hellebuycks first trip back to Winnipeg will have to wait a little longer. The Jets announced Jake Allen will get the start in goal against the New Jersey Devils, keeping the former Winnipeg netminder on the sideline for a night that had carried a little extra weight for fans and a few familiar faces in the room. Head coach Scott Arniel and captain Adam Lowry both acknowledged the emotional layer attached to Hellebuycks return, which had been one of the more anticipated storylines around this matchup.
For Winnipeg, it pushes the reunion to a later date and leaves the focus on the goaltending plan in front of a Devils team that still brings plenty of intrigue. The clubs will see each other again later in the season in Newark, giving Hellebuyck another chance to return to a building where he once played a central role. For now, though, Jets fans will have to keep waiting for the full homecoming. [Read more 🡒]
Moose Depth Faces Its Biggest Test Yet In Texas
The Manitoba Moose have spent the first stretch of the 2026-27 season proving their depth can travel. Even with a depleted lineup, they found a way to take two games from the Toronto Marlies and keep their strong start rolling, sitting second in the Central Division as they head into a tougher road test against the Texas Stars.
What makes the next stop feel different is the pressure building around the roster itself. Manitoba has already leaned on its structure and next-man-up mentality to get through an impressive opening run, but the challenge in Texas will be a more demanding measure of how far that depth can carry them when the lineup is stretched and the opposition is waiting to expose any cracks. [Read more 🡒]