As playoff hopes dwindle, should there be a Jets goalie controversy? Comrie’s six-game winning streak makes a case for netminding changeup By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:59 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 23, 2026

Let’s make one thing clear: the Winnipeg Jets do not currently have a goaltending controversy.

Connor Hellebuyck is the undisputed starter. Eric Comrie is the backup. And that’s likely not about to change.

But here’s a meaty question worth chewing on: should they?

If these truly are do-or-die days, with the team trying to navigate a razor-thin playoff race where even the slightest misstep could prove fatal, how can they not at least consider riding the hottest hand?

And right now, without dispute, that’s Comrie — not Hellebuyck.

“I thought that was going to be question No. 1,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel told the Free Press with a laugh following his team’s 3-2 shootout victory on Sunday afternoon over the New York Rangers inside Madison Square Garden.

Guilty as charged. We had actually saved it for near the end of his post-game, wondering if Comrie’s recent surge, coupled with his latest outing, is forcing the organization to re-think its goaltending plans.

“We’ll see. We’re going to see how this plays,” Arniel continued.

“We face two big teams at home here in Vegas and Colorado, so we’ll play it out here. We’ll look at it and see how we’re lined up, making sure that both goaltenders are more than likely going to get an opportunity. We’ve just got to make sure that they’re both rested and healthy for the game that they play in.”

Translation: the door appears to be at least slightly open. That’s not to say it will be Comrie in net on Tuesday night when the Jets open a quick two-game homestand against the Golden Knights. But, at the very least, it’s being considered — as it should be.

Winnipeg (29-29-12) enters play five points back of the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Both teams have 12 regular-season games remaining. The Jets must also overtake the Los Angeles Kings (three points ahead), Seattle Kraken (one point ahead with a game in hand) and San Jose Sharks (tied with two games in hand).

It’s a difficult, borderline impossible task at this point, one that is going to require an incredible run. Think 11-1-0 or 10-2-0.

“The margin for error is slim,” admitted captain Adam Lowry.

Fair or not, the goaltending position becomes magnified when the pressure ramps up. They are the last line of defence, after all.

This decision regarding who should start any given game at this point shouldn’t be about contract status, salary, hockey history or ego. It should be about one thing: who gives us the best chance to win right here, right now?

The numbers don’t lie.

Only one Winnipeg goaltender has put together a personal six-game winning streak this year. That would be Comrie, whose last loss came way back on Jan. 1. His numbers since that time are sizzling: a 6-0-0 record, 1.50 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.

You can thank his wife, Haley, who tried to lift his spirits prior to his Jan. 9 game against the Kings by decorating his car with photos reminding him of what’s important in life. Among the snapshots were his two children, along with one of a young Comrie dressed in his goalie equipment.

He hasn’t lost since.

You can also thank Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty, who suggested Comrie change up his mask and go with a plain white version following that New Year’s Day outing in Toronto, where he gave up six goals, including a self-inflicted blunder late in the game that broke a tie.

He hasn’t lost since.

Comrie’s overall numbers might not jump off the page — 22 starts (a career-high), a 12-9-1 record, 2.90 GAA and an .897 SV%. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find this really is a tale of two seasons.

Ten of his starts came without the safety net of Hellebuyck, who was sidelined with a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Comrie went 2-7-1 with a 3.71 GAA and a .874 SV%. He definitely struggled at times in an unfamiliar role, buckling under the increased workload.

“The margin for error is slim.”

But in his other 12 games, where he truly was in his usual role as a backup making spot starts, Comrie is 10-2-0 with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 SV%. Those numbers would have him among the very best No. 2 netminders in the NHL.

Hellebuyck, meanwhile, hasn’t looked much like his Hart and Vezina Trophy-winning self lately. He started three straight games last week, giving up 13 goals in the process. Several were ones you’d normally expect him to stop. His save percentage in those outings was just .841.

The body language has been concerning, too. There have been times Hellebuyck has seemed slow to move, slow to react and slow to get up. There’s also been more “swimming” in his crease, which you don’t typically see from him. When Hellebuyck is at his best, he’s big and boring.

Can it be fatigue? Unlike the majority of NHL goalies, the 32-year-old didn’t get a three-week Olympic break to reset and recharge. He was in Milan last month, playing five pressure-cooker games for the United States — winning them all — and leading his team to a gold medal.

But since being back in Winnipeg’s net, the results have been mixed.

Hellebuyck had started 11 of Winnipeg’s previous 12 games prior to Comrie getting the call on Sunday afternoon. That has to take a toll, both physically and mentally.

Overall, Hellebuyck’s numbers are far inferior to his career averages: a 2.85 GAA, his highest since the 2021-22 season — the last time the Jets missed the playoffs — and a .897 save percentage, by far the worst of his career.

Comrie has proven he’s more than capable of pitching in, and the Jets at this point should be doing everything possible to make sure that happens.

Splitting the remaining 12 starts? That’s not a bad idea.

Here’s a better one: win and you stay in. At this point, it’s not about roles or resumés, it’s about survival. And if that creates a little goaltending controversy, so be it.

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre