WINNIPEG — Connor Hellebuyck’s comments Friday during his end-of-season media availability put pressure on the Winnipeg Jets organization – whether the star goalie intended to or not.
Hellebuyck called the season “unacceptable,” and said the team can’t put the same product on the ice next season.
Winning is everything to the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, and according to Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, that intensity is what helps make Hellebuyck a top-tier player.
“You don’t become an elite player in this league unless you have that kind of emotion, that kind of fire, that kind of drive,” said Cheveldayoff during his season-ending media availability on Monday, reacting to Hellebuyck’s comments. “But as far as putting the organization on notice, that’s something that happens each and every day. It doesn’t take someone to say it in public.”
Both Cheveldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel were quick to highlight Hellebuyck’s emotion and fire rather than comment on the goaltender’s future with the Jets. Arniel did, however, acknowledge the idea that the 33-year-old would ever try to leave the organization.
“The part about him being here or not, I’ve never heard anything like that and that’s never come across my desk,” said Arniel. “It’s about winning. It’s about getting back to our standards of where we were last year.
“We took a deep breath, and as we took that breath, a whole bunch of teams in the league went right by us. So this is us – recognize it, him recognize it, and he’s not alone. There is frustration from everybody. It should be, because we need to be playing at this time of year.”
Core players like Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor re-signed with the organization under the impression this would be a team that competes for the Stanley Cup every year. With a disappointing season over, the pressure is on to get the team back to being a playoff contender.
“The pressure is always there to try to move forward. Nothing is ever going to be a straight line. I think you can say it, you can plan it, but at the end of the day, that’s the beauty of it – you go out and you have to play,” said Cheveldayoff. “It doesn’t matter if you make four, five trades, bring in four or five different people – you still have to earn it. Whatever group assembles next year, we have to come in with the mindset that we have to earn it.”
The Jets went from a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team in 2024-25 to a team that missed the playoffs for just the second time in the last nine seasons. They went from finishing the regular season with 116 points to scraping together 82 points in a full campaign. They went from being known for their defensive structure to struggling to win one-goal games.
Cheveldayoff and Arniel both talked about using the long off-season to find answers for why things shifted so drastically.
“I was taught as a kid by my mom and dad to take responsibility for your actions,” said Arniel. “I am taking some responsibility for a lot of what went on this year. I’m not falling on a sword. I know I’ve had my meetings with the players and I haven’t had my meeting with management yet, but at the end of the day there are lots of things that I have to go back and look at.”
“I’ve got four and a half months to get ready,” added Arniel. “You have to have answers, and the players want answers, management, you guys want answers. I don’t have the answers today, but at the end of the day that’s part of my job. We’ve got to get back to where we were, and there’s some work to be done.”
Cheveldayoff wouldn’t indicate whether Arniel will be back behind the bench next season, but said that decision will fall under the broad evaluation the organization plans to conduct over the next several months.
Arniel just completed the second year of a three-year contract he signed to become the Jets’ head coach in May 2024.
“I know the entire coaching staff works extremely hard. They’re extremely prepared. They do those kinds of things to try to give players the best opportunity,” said Cheveldayoff. “I’m not going to sit here and make any bold proclamations because, again, this evaluation process – I owe it to the organization, I owe it to ourselves, I owe it to the fans, I owe it to the players. Like I said, we’re not ready to turn the page on anything yet and we’ll keep evaluating.”
There’s no way of knowing how different the roster will look come training camp in September, but in a league that is getting younger and faster, the Jets’ recent extension with Cole Koepke offers a glimpse into how adding speed will be a priority this off-season.
As for other priorities, Cheveldayoff said that before even discussing roster needs, a thorough exit process is at the top of his to-do list.
“I’m not ready to say we’re ready to turn the page here,” said Cheveldayoff. “We’re not turning the page on this one just yet.”
