Connor Hellebuyck has been the heartbeat of the Winnipeg Jets for a long time now. The Olympic gold-winning American goaltender has stolen more games than most fans can count and earned every bit of respect that comes with multiple Vezina Trophy wins.
But after another season that ended too soon, with the team on the outside looking in on the playoffs, you could hear the edge in his voice when he faced the microphone at the end-of-season media interaction.
Connor Hellebuyck made it clear he’s here to chase a Stanley Cup, and right now that fire feels like it’s burning hotter than the patience he has left for the current setup in Winnipeg.
Darren Dreger recently offered his take on where things stand with Hellebuyck. While he made it clear he hasn’t heard that the goalie has formally requested a trade, he pointed to a noticeable shift in Hellebuyck’s outlook after another frustrating season.
“Now, I don’t have the information that he has formally asked for a trade, so I don’t believe that he has, but I think that there’s a clear indication that he wouldn’t mind a change, and he’s got trade protection,” said Dreger on TSN Overdrive.
He added:
“Toews, who’s officially going to retire tomorrow. So now you need a number two center; they’d like to upgrade their number four center. If you trade Connor Hellebuyck, you have to address your goaltending, so there are a lot of boxes that need to be checked for the Winnipeg Jets.”
Connor Hellebuyck is locked in for four more years with the seven-year, $59.5 million contract he signed with the Jets not too long ago. The deal carries a full- no-movement clause. So far, the Florida Panthers have emerged as the leading candidate due to the uncertainty surrounding Sergei Bobrovsky.
Winnipeg Jets’ free agency going to be crucial in determining Connor Hellebuyck’s future
Undoubtedly, Connor Hellebuyck has done his part, and now the pressure is on the front office to prove they’re ready to do theirs or at least give him an honest chance to chase that Cup somewhere else if they can’t.
But the question now is whether the Jets can give him the supporting cast to do it at home or if they’ll have to watch one of their all-time greats head elsewhere in search of hockey’s ultimate prize.
The next few weeks are going to be crucial as the Jets have a lot of work to do in free agency and at the draft. It’ll be intriguing to see how they handle the center position, defense, and, last but not least, goaltending depth that could determine whether Hellebuyck stays put or tries his luck outside Winnipeg.
Also Read: Insider outlines what Florida must cough up to land Hellebuyck
Edited by Abhishek Dilta