Connor Hellebuyck’s suspension is set to expire Friday, and that puts the Winnipeg Jets in a tight spot. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner is still at the center of a trade request situation that could either get solved before then or take another messy turn.
If the Jets don’t move him by the deadline, they may have to decide between keeping him paid up while he stays away from the team or bringing him back into the mix. That second option would create an awkward locker room dynamic, and it’s the one people around the situation seem most wary of.
On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk, co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton, and NHL insider David Pagnotta dug into what that return could look like.
Hutton pointed directly at how unusual Hellebuyck can be to handle, saying: “And the factor is, like, Hellebuyck is so interesting to me. Like, he’s a unique guy, right?
And you hear that all the time in hockey, like, “Well, you’re a goalie.” Hellebuyck is a goalie.
He’s a unique person that’s tricky to manage, whether it’s media, whether it’s interviews around the team. What is this dynamic like from the Winnipeg dressing room as the suspension lifts?
And the potential plan of, like, just paying him to be a practice guy, or does he actually step foot again in that locker room and disrupt what they have going on?”
Pagnotta said the concern is exactly that Hellebuyck could walk back into the room and throw things off. He added that these situations get personal fast inside an NHL locker room, where players build friendships, and those relationships can be strained once winning is at stake.
“Not that he’s no longer suspended and still with the organization, that, you know, he comes in the room and it potentially disrupts what’s going on,” Pagnotta said. He went on to describe the mood in Winnipeg this way: “That’s more or less the mentality in Winnipeg.
They don’t want him there. They’ll still be friends with him after the fact, but they don’t want him there given the dynamic and how they started the season.”
Pagnotta also said the frustration goes beyond the players. “You know, coaches are pissed.
Management’s pissed. Ownership?
Mark Chipman’s not happy by what’s happened here in this situation.”
If a trade doesn’t come together by Friday, Pagnotta said the Jets could be left with the option of paying Hellebuyck while he’s not playing for them. He also floated the possibility of sending him to the AHL on a conditioning stint if both sides agree, which would give him practice time and, eventually, game action there.
For now, the situation remains unresolved, and the clock is ticking toward Friday.
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