Signing with Jets a no-brainer

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This article was published 04/07/2023 (901 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s back — but not with a vengeance.

When Laurent Brossoit was last seen around these parts, he was helping his Vegas Golden Knights to a first-round playoff victory over the Winnipeg Jets, with fans at Canada Life Centre trying to rattle him by chanting “you’re a backup.”

“No apologies necessary,” Brossoit said with a laugh on Tuesday.

“I love that part of the game. That’s good fun. When that many people are chanting something related to you, it fires you up. I can’t see any player that would have a problem with it. I think if you’re getting chanted like that it’s a good thing. I think it was funny. You know, water under the bridge for sure.”

Brossoit, 30, signed a one-year, US$1.75 million deal with Winnipeg last Saturday, returning to the organization he spent three years with before taking his talents to Sin City for the past two seasons.

“Very excited to rejoin some friends and what I consider a second home in Winnipeg,” he said.

A few things have changed, including the fact the Port Alberni, B.C. product is now a Stanley Cup champion. Unfortunately, Brossoit’s terrific playoff run ended in Game 3 of the second-round when he tore his groin trying to make a save off Connor McDavid.

“I was a part of the team that won the Stanley Cup. But the way it shook out, it doesn’t feel like that craving’s really been fully satisfied,” he said.

“Maybe partly. It was a great experience. It definitely made me hungrier to be a bigger part of another Stanley Cup win.”

History will show Adin Hill took over for the injured Brossoit and never looked back. Hill signed a two-year, US$9.8 million contract extension last week, which essentially pushed Brossoit out of the crease since Vegas also has Logan Thompson (who was injured all playoffs) under contract, along with veteran Robin Lehner (also injured all year).

The crowded crease actually pushed Brossoit down to the American Hockey League for a spell, something he admits was a bit humbling.

“Putting the ego aside and still trying to make the most of my time down there, I was proud of the way that I handled that,” he said. “I was pretty happy with the development of my mental game this past year.”

Brossoit went 7-0-3 in the regular season with Vegas, with a stellar 2.17 goals-against-average and .927 save percentage. He was 5-2 with a 3.18 GAA and .894 save percentage in the playoffs before getting hurt.

Once he learned Winnipeg was interested in bringing him back, Brossoit said it became a bit of a no-brainer.

“I felt the familiarity coupled with the fact we’re retaining a lot of guys in Winnipeg and it’s going to be a little bit different than when I was there last time, that excited me,” he said. “A little bit more opportunity for me to win starts and be a bigger part than I was last time. Those were big key points for me.”

“A little bit more opportunity for me to win starts and be a bigger part than I was last time. Those were big key points for me.”

Having Connor Hellebuyck as your job-share partner can be a tough pill to swallow, since he typically plays upwards of 65 games a year, but there’s some uncertainty surrounding the three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, who is entering the final year of his contract and could potentially be traded if he doesn’t sign a long-term extension with Winnipeg.

“I can’t say it’s been discussed. I was only signed a couple days ago,” he said of possibly getting more work this time around.

“It’s just from my own perspective, I see opportunity. I’m going to push Helly. He’s obviously the guy that has been trusted there for a long time and he’s a good friend of mine, but I’m going to push him like I did when I was here last. Hopefully we can both be better for it and have the strongest tandem in the league, and the most opportunity I can earn the better.”

There’s been an emerging trend in recent years of many times adopting a platoon system for goaltenders to avoid overworking their No. 1 guy. Perhaps we’ll start to see that happen in Winnipeg.

Brossoit said he’ll also be bringing with him some lessons he learned during the Golden Knights memorable two-month run to the championship.

“The one piece that was unique in Vegas was how many guys, their core guys were part of that expansion draft. So they have a very selfless… they’re not a very cocky bunch,” he said.

“It was a very team-like atmosphere; there was no drama. Everyone would come to the rink and do what they needed to do. They would practice hard, joke around, but there wasn’t any extra stuff that was distracting ever. And throughout the year, guys got closer and closer. Guys went to battle for one another.”

Brossoit said his groin injury is very close to fully healed and he’s back to regular summer training. He also feels more flexible than ever after undergoing hip surgery a year ago.

By signing a one-year contract, Brossoit is essentially betting on himself with the hope of earning something more lucrative next off-season.

“I think I showed a lot of people what I can do, showed myself what I can do this past year. But everyone wants to see a little more of that, a full season,” he said.

“I want to come in and have a full, healthy, strong season and show everyone what I can do — and that I can be put into the situation that I’ve always felt I can achieve. That bona fide starting position and that’s kind of the goal — and I don’t really want to wait longer than one year after this for that. That’s my goal for this season, to prove to Winnipeg and to prove to everyone and anyone who would value me that I can be one of the best (goalies) in the league.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg