Connor Hellebuyck's old Jets comments are coming back to haunt him after camp absence
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Connor Hellebuyck's stunning absence from Jets training camp has old promises resurfacing, and fans aren't letting him forget them.
It hits different when you go back and actually read what he said.
Connor Hellebuyck signed his seven year, $59.5 million dollar extension with the Winnipeg Jets back in October of 2023, and the words he chose that day sounded like a man who had found a permanent home.
The words that won't stop echoing
He talked about being ready to be a Jet for life.
He talked about an organization that believed in him the way he believed in himself.
He talked about wanting to bring a Cup back to the city because he truly believed it could happen there.
"Now I'm ready to be a Jet for life. This organization believes in me the way I believe in myself, and that's kind of the way I've gotten to where I am now.
And it's really hard to leave that. That breeds success, and I want to thank you guys a lot for believing in me the way I believe in myself.
And now I'm ready to be a Jet for life and bring a cup to the city, because I truly believe that we can get it done here."
- Connor Hellebuyck
And it's really hard to leave that. That breeds success, and I want to thank you guys a lot for believing in me the way I believe in myself.
And now I'm ready to be a Jet for life and bring a cup to the city, because I truly believe that we can get it done here."
- Connor Hellebuyck
Fast forward to now, and Hellebuyck has not reported to Jets camp.
He publicly confirmed his trade request in late August, saying he privately asked to be moved months earlier and that his stance has not changed.
He wants out, plain and simple, and he wants his family somewhere else too.
Why fans feel burned
That is where the resurfaced quotes sting the most.
The same guy who thanked the organization for believing in him is now the guy skipping team events while insiders debate his trade value.
Darren Dreger and the rest of the Insider Trading crew did not expect him to show up when camp officially opened, and they were bang on.
Some fans are calling it a betrayal of everything he said in 2023.
Others point out that a down statistical season and a shrinking trade market changed the calculus for everyone involved, Hellebuyck included.
Either way, the extension talk from three years ago now reads very differently than it did the day he signed it.
Winnipeg's front office has a decision to make, and it is not getting easier with time.
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Connor Hellebuyck's leaked trade list creates a major problem for the Jets
Connor Hellebuyck's leaked trade list creates a major problem for the Jets