What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Winnipeg Jets clinched the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history (all iterations). While they disappointed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, barely beating the St. Louis Blues in the first round and bowing out to the Dallas Stars in six games in the second round, it was a sign of great progress from the organization.
Just a season ago, the Jets were serious contenders for the Stanley Cup after years of playoff exoduses. The team had 10 players with over 30 points in the regular season, but their MVP was undoubtedly goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck had the best season of his potential Hall of Fame career in 2024-25, leading the league in wins (47), goals-against average (GAA) (2.00), and goals saved above average (GSAA) (41.6) while sporting a career-high .925 save percentage (SV%). His dominant campaign earned him both the Vezina and Hart Trophies (as league MVP), a feat managed by four other goaltenders (Jacques Plante, Dominik Hasek (twice), Jose Theodore, and Carey Price).
This season, the Jets have fallen well short of expectations. With a 19-22-5 record and 43 points, they are eighth in the Central Division, and they are only ahead of the Vancouver Canucks (16-26-5, 37 points) at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Part of the reason for this drop is management’s failure to replace top-scoring forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed as a free agent with the Carolina Hurricanes last summer, but a lot of that blame falls on Hellebuyck. He has not been performing well, and the Jets are suffering because of it.
Hellebuyck’s Rough Season
Hellebuyck looked like himself in net at the start of the season. He sported a 6-3-0 record, allowing just 21 goals on 267 shots for a .921 SV%. But in November, Hellebuyck suffered a major setback.
On Nov. 21, he underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure on his knee that caused him to miss nearly a month. He finished November with a 2-3-0 record and a .898 SV%, but by the time of his procedure, the Jets were still third in the Central Division with a 12-8-0 record.
Since his return from injury on Dec. 13, he has been off his game, with just a 4-6-4 record, 2.94 GAA and a .887 SV% in 14 games. It has dropped his save percentage to just .901 on the season, the lowest of his career.
Hellebuyck’s Historical Impact
Hellebuyck could be argued as the most valuable player in Jets history. Before he broke out in the 2017-18 season, the Jets had major issues in goaltending. Ondrej Pavelec struggled as the starter, and Michael Hutchinson and Al Montoya mostly flopped as backups. They had the fourth-worst SV% in the NHL (.904) from the 2011-12 season to the 2016-17 season. As a result, the Jets made the postseason once during that timeframe, getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Michael Hutchison has challenged Ondrej Pavelec so far this season, and he hasn’t been showing any signs of letting up. (Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports)
Then, when Hellebuyck took over in 2017-18, the team took off. In his first season with over 60 starts, he helped the Jets earn their first 50-win season and advance to the Western Conference Final with a .924 SV% and leading the league in GPS (goalie points share, 14.0).
In many seasons since, the Jets have made the playoffs solely due to Hellebuyck’s excellence. In 2022-23 and 2023-24 (when Rick Bowness was head coach), the team ranked 21st and 15th in goals for, respectively. However, Hellebuyck had a .921 SV% and a 2.44 GAA, and the Jets made the playoffs.
Related: Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck Is the NHL’s Gold Standard in Goal
Even if he has been the biggest reason the Jets have been Stanley Cup contenders consistently in this decade, some have argued that Hellebuyck has been holding the team back from making deeper playoff runs. He has a career .903 SV% in the postseason and an .870 SV% over the Jets’ last three Stanley Cup Playoff runs (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25).
Where Do the Jets Go From Here?
Hellebuyck’s struggles this season have put the Jets well below the playoff line just one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. Of course, the blame doesn’t lie only on his shoulders. His injury could be lingering, the Jets didn’t find a suitable replacement for Nikolaj Ehlers, and their depth pickups during the offseason have backfired horrifically so far (see Jonathan Toews).
At this point, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has to decide whether it’s worth keeping the current core anymore. The team is very old, and they lack depth. Without Hellebuyck bailing them out with Vezina-caliber goaltending, the true colors of the Jets have shown.
