Life would be heck without Hellebuyck

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This article was published 21/02/2023 (978 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK — Just like Batman would routinely save the citizens of Gotham City, Connor Hellebuyck has been playing the role of real-life superhero for the Winnipeg Jets.

The masked man gives his team a fighting chance every time he guards the net, regardless of what the rest of the lineup looks like or who the opponent might be. He’s truly that special.

A memorable 50-save performance in Monday’s 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden is the latest in a long list of examples. Hellebuyck stared down 30 pucks from the slot (the highest of any goalie this year), stopping all but one.

Analytics provided by Sportslogiq indicate he denied a ridiculous 4.87 expected goals, which is the second most by any netminder this year.

Hellebuyck also surpassed 13,000 shots faced in his NHL career, even if it might have seemed like they all came in this one game. To put that in perspective, no other goalie has even hit the 12,000 mark in that span.

Among goalies with at least 25 games played this year (Hellebuyck has played a league-leading 43), this is how he currently ranks: Tied for second in wins (26). Tied for second in save percentage (.926). Sixth in goals-against-average (2.39). Second in shots faced (1,372). Second in saves (1,270). There’s a very good chance he will be a finalist for a third time as he seeks a second Vezina Trophy, although Boston’s Linus Ullmark is going to be tough to beat barring a late-season collapse.

Travis Yost, who writes about analytics for TSN, offered up an eye-opening graphic on social media Tuesday which shows, as he stated, that “Hellebuyck really looks like one of the best goaltenders of the last two decades. Outperforming primes of Carey Price and Jon Quick,” he wrote, with advanced numbers to back it up.

Which brings me to the question that must be keeping Mark Chipman, Kevin Cheveldayoff and the rest of the True North brain trust tossing and turning every time they call it a day: What would a world without their out-of-this-world goaltender look like?

I’m guessing it would be akin to the Dark Knight sleeping through the Bat Signal. There would be utter chaos, with evil running amok and triumphing over good.

Folks in Winnipeg haven’t had to worry about that doomsday scenario ever since Hellebuyck came on the scene and began protecting the crease during the 2015-16 season. But life moves fast, and the 29-year-old Michigan product is on the cusp of being able to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent by July 1, 2024 as the six-year, US$37-million deal he signed in 2018 (US$6.167 million per year) is set to expire.

Will he stay? Or will he go? It’s incredible how much turns on that answer.

It’s no secret the Jets are approaching a major crossroads in franchise history, with Mark Scheifele, Pierre-Luc Dubois and, to a lesser extent, Blake Wheeler also set to be UFAs by 2024, unless they ink extensions between now and then. That’s why I’m on record as saying Winnipeg must be aggressive approaching next Friday’s trade deadline, with a chance to take advantage of the present opportunity staring them in the face. The Central Division and Western Conference are there for the taking, and adding to a squad that has gone 35-21-1 so far should be the top priority.

Live in the moment. Worry about the future another day.

But we also can’t ignore the elephant in the room. And it says here the exit of no other player — not Scheifele, not Dubois, and not Wheeler — would change both the look and direction of the Jets more than Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg could try to re-tool and re-load on forward, especially if it becomes clear Scheifele and/or Dubois wish to move on. You flip them for NHL assets, as early as this summer, if you can’t get their names on long-term extensions. Worst-case scenario is next year’s trade deadline, rather than risk losing them for nothing.

But there is no such pivot available when it comes to Hellebuyck. There is no succession plan in place, no heir apparent to the net waiting in the wings. David Rittich, the current backup here on a one-year deal, is likely not a No. 1 at this stage of his career. And Arvid Holm and Oskari Salminen are having nice years with the Manitoba Moose but both are still very much in the early stages of their careers. The jury is still out on what their ceiling might be.

Goalies tend to age better than the typical skater, so it won’t be a concern that Hellebuyck is 31 when his deal is up. A maximum eight-year extension, which would no doubt carry a hefty price tag, would be well worth it. Keep him in the fold, and there’s no reason the window to compete can’t stay open for the Jets.

But if he opted to seek out what he felt were greener goalie pastures, then all bets are off. It would usher in seismic and likely very painful change around here.

I’d love to be able to tell you how this is going to play out, but I honestly have no idea. But here’s what I do know. Hellebuyck loves what he has going in Winnipeg, especially the relationship with goalie coach Wade Flaherty. You’ll notice that the guy known as “Flats” is the lone holdover from the coaching staff housecleaning that occurred after last year. There’s a reason for that.

Hellebuyck is also loyal to the Jets in the sense they took a chance on the gangly teenager at the 2012 draft, a kid who really hadn’t been on any NHL radar as a walk-on tryout with the Odessa Jackalopes a year earlier. He’s also fiercely competitive and wants nothing more than to win a Stanley Cup. In that sense, I can’t imagine he’d simply chase the biggest money offer if it meant going to some rebuilding team that might just be in the early stages of wanting to contend.

And that’s why it’s so important for Cheveldayoff and company to send a strong, clear message to Hellebuyck in the here and now: Essentially, we appreciate you. And we’re going to do everything possible to try and get you to the promised land.

“Bucky is a great goalie, but he can’t always save us like that,” Dubois told me Monday night in the Jets room. “We shouldn’t have to depend on him like that.”

Agreed. Which is why it would be an utter waste not to take advantage of having arguably the best goalie in the planet, in the prime of his career, currently in your employ. Give him every reason to want to stay. Show him that you’re serious about winning. That’s really all he wants at this point.

Do that, and the citizens of Gotham — the fans of Winnipeg — should be able to rest easy.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg