‘It’s all unknown right now for all of us’

ST. LOUIS — The thing about being in uncharted waters is that the answer to the next question isn’t always readily apparent either above or below the surface.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel has been doing his best to ensure the upcoming two-game road trip against Central Division opponents doesn’t include a three-ring circus. But with news coming over the weekend that the suspension for goalie Connor Hellebuyck is set to expire on Friday, the club has to prepare for the next step in that process.

The problem, as Arniel conceded during his session on Monday afternoon before the team departed for Missouri, is that some of the hypotheticals need to be eliminated from the equation before the proper response can be determined.

“When it comes to Helly’s scenario, honestly I don’t really have a lot of information,” said Arniel. “I know everybody knows (about) Friday. That’s all we know.”

The only real way that this story goes away is for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to make a trade between now and Friday.

“Things will play themselves out, and we’ll have a lot more answers for you… when that time arrives,” said Arniel. “It’s all unknown right now for all of us. (Cheveldayoff) is handling that, he’s dealing with that stuff.”

Because contract holdouts are so rare and the collective bargaining agreement has changed dramatically since the last one nearly a quarter of a century ago, it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen next.

Arniel did mention 19 days — which appears to be the length of the suspension the Jets were able to tack on to Hellebuyck for failure to report to training camp.

Jets players haven’t been bombarded with questions about Hellebuyck, though it’s been apparent that his actions haven’t been met with universal approval from his teammates.

“We’re all kind of in the same boat. You hear the news, and all I’m going to say is that we want guys that want to be here,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. “If he comes back and kind of recommits to the group and shows to us that he wants to be a part of this, I think this group is pretty tight-knit, pretty committed, pretty determined, and more confident. We’re a family in here.

“We have big goals, and aspirations for this season. We know what we want to do, and all we want are guys that want to be committed to that goal with us.”

Arniel also addressed the question of whether Hellebuyck wouldn’t be welcomed back by those in the dressing room.

“I don’t think our whole group is saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want you.’ There’s some things that have happened on the outside that have probably built that narrative,” said Arniel. “There’s none of us saying that right now. Players are waiting to see, everybody’s waiting, I’m waiting.

“It’s not us saying we don’t want anything to do with him anymore. We’re really just trying to see how this plays out.”

The timing is interesting as the Jets are getting set for a weekend hockey celebration — the Heritage Classic — that includes the third outdoor game in franchise history.

But the Jets have done an outstanding job of not letting the uncertainty of Hellebuyck’s future get in the way of what has been a strong start. The club rolls into St. Louis on Tuesday with a 4-2-2 record and have been playing fast-paced, aggressive hockey.

Arniel gave credit to captain Adam Lowry and the leadership group for that ability to lock in on the task at hand.

“Those guys have done a really good job of staying within the room, staying focused on what our goal is, what our assignments are, what our job is,” said Arniel. “Really trying not to let the outside noise get in.

“And it’s a big outside noise.”

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe