Jets May Have a Hellebuyck Problem They Didn't Expect

Every now and then, a hockey team discovers something it didn't expect. It loses a major player, everybody wonders how it's going to survive, and then the team starts winning anyway. That's where the Winnipeg Jets find themselves early in the 2026-27 season. Connor Hellebuyck's trade request and refusal to report created a mess before the season even got going. You don't simply shrug when a goalie of his calibre wants out. He's been a huge part of what Winnipeg has built.

Have the Jets already moved on from Hellebuyck?

But hockey has a way of moving on, even when the people involved aren't quite ready. Kyle Connor is playing some terrific hockey, and Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson have helped keep the team steady in goal. The Jets are sitting third in the Central Division. It's early, of course, and nobody should be handing out awards in October. Still, Winnipeg has given itself something it might not have expected to have so soon: options.

That's what makes the suggestion that Hellebuyck might be considering a return so interesting. On paper, bringing back an elite goalie sounds easy. Most teams would love to have Hellebuyck. But a hockey team isn't a spreadsheet. A room full of players has to live with the decision, and a season's worth of uncertainty doesn't disappear just because someone decides he wants back in.

What do current Jets’ players think about their former goalie?

If teammates believe a player publicly questioned the team's ability to win, that can leave a mark. We don't know exactly what everyone in that room thinks, and I'd be careful about pretending we do. But rebuilding trust can be harder than making a save or scoring a goal.

There's another question, too. What message would a return send to the goalies who have stepped in and helped the Jets get off to a good start? Skinner and Stevenson have an opportunity to show what they can do. They shouldn't automatically be treated as placeholders simply because a bigger name might become available.

Regardless of what happens, the Jets’ players won’t forget their history.

None of this means Winnipeg should turn its back on Hellebuyck. If there's a way to bring him back that works for the team, it's worth considering. He's earned that much respect.

But the Jets may have learned something important in his absence. They can keep going. And if Hellebuyck does return, the challenge won't just be getting him back between the pipes. It'll be making sure everybody is pulling in the same direction.

Sometimes the biggest question isn't whether a player wants to come back. It's whether the team still needs him on the same terms.