There is little point in the Winnipeg Jets overworking goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for the rest of the season.
Going forward through the last 25 games of the campaign, his workload should be drastically reduced.
With Playoffs Unlikely, It’s Time For Young Goalies to Get NHL Starts
Entering play Feb. 27, Hellebuyck has made 36 starts for the Jets this season, but also made five at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy for a total of 41.
He doesn’t need to and shouldn’t challenge for 60-plus starts as he usually does. While the organization is still saying they’re committed making a push for the playoffs — let’s be honest, they’re not going to say “we’re tanking” — the reality is it’s a long shot. While the Jets captured a 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks in their first game out of the Olympic break, they are still nine points out of the second western conference wild-card spot and only have a 9.3 per cent chance of making the postseason, as per MoneyPuck.
Instead, the Jets should let Hellebuyck take it relatively easy in favour of giving Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic some opportunities to take the NHL crease.
The young netminders have been steady in tandem for the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season and deserve NHL opportunity. DiVincentiis has a 2.77 goals against average (GAA), .906 save percentage (SV%), and two shutouts in 25 appearances while Milic, who was named to the AHL All-Star Classic, has a 2.37 GAA, .910 SV%, and two shutouts in 22 appearances.
Milic made his NHL debut in late November while Hellebuyck was out after an arthroscopic knee surgery, while DiVincentiis has backed Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie up but not seen any game action.
Hellebuyck was outstanding throughout the Olympics for the United States and was the gold-medal game hero without a doubt, but it’s not like he’s played anywhere close to Vezina Trophy calibre this season in general. His 2.79 GAA and .900 SV% are barely better than Comrie’s 3.01 GAA and .893 SV%, and he also has only three more wins than his backup in 16 more starts. Even if the Jets truly believe they can make the playoffs, starting someone else may not hurt their chance to win much.
DiVincentiis & Milic Have Opportunities to “Cross the Hall”
The most logical time to give DiVincentiis and Milic some starts is while the Jets and Moose are home simultaneously so they can literally just walk across the hall (one of many benefits of having your AHL affiliate in the same city as your NHL team). The Moose have two home games on March 8 and 10 that overlap with the Jets’ eight-game homestand from March 3 through 17, and the Jets have two home games on April 6 and 11 that overlap with a five-game Moose homestand from April 3 through 12.
The appropriate workload going forward would be something like Hellebuyck making 10 starts or fewer with DiVincentiis and Milic making three to four each and Comrie making the rest if he’s not among the players dealt at next Friday’s 2026 Trade Deadline.
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While taking DiVincentiis or Milic away from the Moose could potentially hurt their chances of locking down third place in the Central Division — where they currently sit — they have a capable third goaltender in Isaac Poulter to back up whoever isn’t called up. (Finishing in the top three is important because those teams get a bye past the Calder Cup Playoff’s best-of-three first round between the Central’s #4 and #5 seeds).
The reality is, either DiVincentiis or Milic could be the Jets’ full-time backup next season (or as soon as the end of next week if Comrie is indeed traded). Them getting meaningful NHL time and being more prepared for next season, while keeping Hellebuyck fresher for the same, would be silver linings to a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign.
