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Connor Hellebuyck was a season-changer for the Winnipeg Jets in 2023-24, winning his second Vezina Trophy and helping to carry the Jets to one of the best records in the Western Conference.
As long as he is in the lineup and playing at that level, the Jets are going to be a formidable opponent and will have a chance on most nights. That is the power of having an elite franchise goalie.
But the problem with having an elite franchise goalie like Hellebuyck is they tend to trick teams and front offices into thinking their team is better than it actually is because the goalie can mask so many flaws. The front office gets complacent and doesn’t feel pressure to change things, the team gets stuck, and it eventually wastes its goaltending gift.
The Rangers did it with Henrik Lundqvist.
The Canadiens did it with Carey Price.
The Jets are doing it with Hellebuyck.
As good as the Jets’ regular season was, it was still a very flawed team, especially with its defensive play and the way it supported Hellebuyck.
Nothing that was done in Winnipeg this offseason has changed that. In fact, the support around Hellebuyck has likely gotten significantly worse with the departures of Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Nate Schmidt, Brenden Dillon and backup goalie Laurent Brossoit. The only significant addition has been a new backup goalie, Kaapo Kahkonen, who is likely to be worse than Brossoit was.
Not only will Hellebuyck likely have a worse defense and less scoring depth in front of him, he also may have to take on an even bigger workload with a lesser backup behind him.
The Jets are not helping their best player.
