Jets Should Bench Connor Hellebuyck if He Returns to the Team

Just because Connor Hellebuyck seems set to return to the Winnipeg Jets’ organization doesn’t mean he should play another minute in a Jets sweater.

In fact, the team would be foolish to play him.

Hellebuyck Set to Return From Suspension

News broke Saturday that Hellebuyck has wanted to end his holdout since Oct. 2 and has been willing to report to the team since that date. However, since he skipped training camp, the Jets suspended him under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Article 15.13(c)(v), which allows a team to suspend a player for failing to report for a “reasonable” amount of time.

That suspension is set to end Friday, Oct. 23. While “reasonable” is up to interpretation, the timeline makes sense as by then, the suspension will be three weeks long, about the same length of time training camp and preseason was.

We don’t know exactly why Hellebuyck decided on Oct. 2 he was willing to report, but it’s possible he realized that holding out wasn’t going to get him traded any faster, and it might have even cooled the market on him. He’s never had any leverage considering he still has five years left on a seven-year deal he signed to be, in his words, a “Jet for life,” so showing up and trying to sew dissension may be his way of trying to gain the upper hand and force a trade.

Jets Reactions Short on Warm and Fuzzies

By team reaction Saturday, it doesn’t seem anyone is too keen to welcome someone who both caused a massive distraction and wants out of Winnipeg back into the fold.

“I really don’t care right now on that scenario,” head coach Scott Arniel said. “That part, that falls on Chevy (Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff). I don’t know what next week is going to look like and at the end of the day, for me, I’ve got 23 guys and all they care about is winning hockey games. My preparation, my thoughts are on that. I’m not worried about who is here and who is not here.”

“If he does show up, there’s going to be conversations,” captain Adam Lowry said, while pledging that “we’re a team, regardless of who’s in the room.”

Kyle Connor wouldn’t even speak on the matter, saying “I’m not gonna really comment on that… Maybe we talk later down the road, not right after the game. So, we’ll save that stuff for later.”

Why Keep Hellebuyck in the Press Box? Let Us Count the Ways

If the Jets aren’t going to of send Hellebuyck back home to Michigan again and pay him to stay far away, there’s plenty of reasons to keep him parked in the press box.

The most-obvious is, with Hellebuyck not rescinding his trade demand nor renewing his commitment to the Jets, is that playing him risks a massive trade asset getting injured. He hasn’t played a hockey game in more than six months and he also had a knee injury last season that required arthroscopic surgery.

Speaking of being in game shape, the Jets may be able to keep withholding Hellebuyck’s salary even after Friday. Under Article 15.13(c)(ii), his “NHL Salary payments will resume once the Club has deemed the Player fit and ready to play.” How can someone be fit and ready to play if they skipped all of training camp and preseason? That’s a complicated question, especially now that the CBA bans team fitness testing.

Starting Hellebuyck would also send the wrong message to a team that has done their best to move on and not let the saga become an excuse to lose. Hellebuyck’s presence in the locker room alone threatens to tank morale; one could only image how demoralizing it would be for the team — especially goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson — to see him immediately handed the reins.

Currently, the Jets simply don’t have a goaltending problem. As the anti-Hellebuyck, Skinner has quickly become a fan favourite, Stevenson has been mostly solid, and both sport respectable numbers. In fact, Skinner’s 2.76 goals against average (GAA) and .906 save percentage (SV%) are better than Hellebuyck’s 2.86 GAA and .895 SV% from last season, and the Jets have gotten at least a point in every one of Skinner’s starts.

Lastly, many — possibly most — most Jets fans won’t want to see Hellebuyck play. While they might still be sad a player they once loved wants out, Winnipeggers value loyalty and commitment, and Hellebuyck possesses neither of those. The general sentiment around Winnipeg has been “let him rot,” and if he took to the crease in Canada Life Centre, more boos would rain down on him than they did on the Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin during the Red Wings season opener. (Larkin is another American who has demanded a trade but to his credit at least didn’t hold out).

After the Jets regressed badly last season to miss the playoffs, fan goodwill remains in fairly short supply, even if it’s growing slightly after a better offseason from Cheveldayoff and a 4-2-2 start. True North Sports & Entertainment would be ill advised to re-alienate the fan base at this juncture, especially when they aren’t selling out the arena consistently.

Hellebuyck Returning Could Increase Trade Urgency

Cheveldayoff has outlined how difficult it is to trade a goalie with a big salary who only wants to go to top teams; that fact, along with his desire to get NHL-ready players in return rather than what he calls “futures” have been impediments to a quick deal. However, Hellebuyck’s imminent return could speed up the urgency with which Cheveldayoff seeks out a trading partner and ultimately accepts a deal he feels is fair value for a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and one-time Hart Trophy winner.

It’d be hard to imagine he, Arniel, or anyone else in the organization wants that type of distraction around for long. However, they can stop the distraction from becoming a full-blown circus sideshow by keeping Hellebuyck in the press box.