Coach sows the seeds of a goalie controversy

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This article was published 06/10/2019 (2212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

UNIONDALE, N.Y — Connor Hellebuyck may like where his game is at. But it doesn’t appear Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice is quite as big a fan right now.

How else to explain the surprising decision to keep his No. 1 netminder stapled to the bench Sunday night while backup Laurent Brossoit made a second straight start? it may not be a full-blown goalie controversy just yet, but make no mistake: Just three games into the new season, the seeds have been sown.

On a team with no shortage of noteworthy developments in the early going — the Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor contract drama, the Josh Morrissey extension, the Dustin Byfuglien bombshell, the emergence of rookie Ville Heinola — this one ranks right up there in terms of shock value.

To everyone, I suppose, except Brossoit himself.

It was just a couple weeks ago during training camp the 26-year-old made a pretty bold statement in a one-on-one chat with Free Press colleague Taylor Allen.

“I see myself as the best goalie in the league,” said Brossoit, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets this past summer paying him US$1.225 million. “I just need the opportunity and I just need to play, really. But you know, circumstance and business is a part of the game. I need to kind of bide my time and wait for that opportunity. And at this point, I’m not going to think too far ahead. I’m just in the situation that I’m in and I’ll play when I play.”

Brossoit didn’t have to wait long for opportunity to come knocking. The door opened ever so slightly after Hellebuyck struggled during three pre-season outings, then pretty much came off the hinges after Hellebuyck’s poor play cost the Jets their season opener on Thursday night in New York.

Hellebuyck was beaten five times on 31 shots in a 6-4 loss to the Rangers. Following the game, he was defiant as ever, blaming bad luck rather than poor play.

“I liked a lot of my game. I felt that I earned better. I felt like I played a lot better than five goals against.”– Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck

“I liked a lot of my game. I felt that I earned better. I felt like I played a lot better than five goals against. I don’t know, it just seems like the puck was always in the wrong spot for me. And if I look back at my tape, I probably wouldn’t do a whole lot different. But I gotta do something because five is unacceptable,” Hellebuyck said.

A strange stance to take, for sure. But one that is consistent with what he said after several below-average outings last season, when both he and his teammates took a significant step back and Hellebuyck seemed incapable of admitting fault.

So the spotlight turned to Brossoit, who got his first start on Friday night in Newark. That had nothing to do with Hellebuyck’s outing 24 hours earlier, as the back-to-back games were always slated to be split. While he didn’t exactly shine early, he saved his best for last after the Jets rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in a shootout.

Brossoit finished with 35 saves, plus five more in the shootout. That, apparently, was enough for Maurice to tap him on the shoulder for Sunday’s tilt against the New York Islanders.

“I just really liked his game. And then I thought after they made it 4-0… I don’t know that three and four he loved, but he made a couple of really big saves after. So that gave us the chance to mount the comeback.”

“I really liked his camp, he’s been solid and good. Had a day off there off of back-to-back, I thought he was the right guy to go,” Maurice said.

It’s a bold move, for sure, and one that carries a degree of risk. Hellebuyck, who signed a six-year extension that pays him US$6.166 million per season after being a Vezina Trophy finalist two years ago, is likely not a happy camper right now. He’s as confident as they come, and would play all 82 games if given the chance. Sitting out a back-to-back situation is one thing. Being told his services aren’t required two nights later is another.

Coming into the season, Hellebuyck was likely slated for something north of 60 games yet again, and maybe he will end up getting there. But the message being sent by Maurice is that playing time is going to be earned by performance, not just handed out based on contract situations or previous accomplishments. We’ve already seen that to a degree with a player such as Heinola, just 18 years old, being awarded a major role on the blue-line.

“This one’s not a big one for me because it’s the start of the year. Connor’s gonna play lots of hockey, he’s gonna get lots of games. So it wasn’t a heavy one, it wasn’t a season on the line kind of thing.”– Jets head coach Paul Maurice

“This one’s not a big one for me because it’s the start of the year. Connor’s gonna play lots of hockey, he’s gonna get lots of games. So it wasn’t a heavy one, it wasn’t a season on the line kind of thing,” Maurice said when I asked what kind of conversation he had with Hellebuyck Sunday.

Some might suggest this is all eerily reminiscent of two years ago, when the Jets began the season with Steve Mason as the starter and Hellebuyck in the backup role. Mason, who had signed a two-year free agent deal the previous summer, had a tough start out of the gate, while Hellebuyck was terrific in relief. It only took a few games before the roles were reversed, with Hellebuyck grabbing the reins and helping the Jets to the Western Conference Final.

Now you have an established — some might say comfortable — starter in Hellebuyck being challenged by a very motivated Brossoit, who is playing for his next contract and knows you only get so many chances. There’s no question Hellebuyck is still viewed by the organization as a major piece of both the present and the future, while Brossoit’s long-term status is murky.

How Hellebuyck responds to all this will be most interesting. The best case scenario for the Jets would be to have Hellebuyck swallow his pride a bit, maybe even show a bit of humility along the way, and do everything in his power to get his game back to where it needs to be. As we’ve seen in the past, he has the ability.

And if Brossoit can keep playing well and steal some starts along the way, the team ultimately reaps the benefits. Even if it means a few egos happen to get bruised in the process.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg