Winnipeg Jets: Connor Hellebuyck Is Solution To Goaltending Curse

The Winnipeg Jets versus good goaltending used to be an underrated rivalry. With the emergence of Connor Hellebuyck, the death of the rivalry is near.

There are some classic rivalries in the NHL. Certain forces have battled for years, with their wars on ice delighting fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens is the oldest. And it’s a great one. So is the one between the Boston Bruins and Canadiens. As is the San Jose Sharks versus Los Angeles Kings. But an underrated one in recent years has been the Winnipeg Jets versus consistent goaltending.

Obviously, their defense has been an issue as well. Compounding the Jets’ shorthanded woes was their tendency to commit a lot of penalties. That pretty much poured gasoline on an already existing fire. They might finally have an answer to their goaltending woes, with Connor Hellebuyck finally showing he has what it takes to be a franchise goalie.

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The Jets have been a cursed team for goaltending. When the best goalie in your franchise’s history is either Kari Lehtonen or Ondrej Pavelec, you know your goaltending has been bad. Hellebuyck is hoping to buck that trend.

Going into the 2017-18 season, the Jets didn’t have much faith in him as a starter. This was proven by the signing of Steve “Dr. Jekkyl and Mr. Hyde” Mason in the offseason. Only the Jets can tell you what they were thinking at the time, but backup goalies don’t get deals with a $4.1 million cap hit.

To the surprise of no one, Mason was the initial starting goalie. Two Dr. Jekkyl performances was enough to render the veteran as the backup. Hellebuyck has since been the starter, starting seven of the next nine games.

Seven starts is a pretty irrelevant sample size for goaltenders. They tend to have good stretches and bad stretches, plus they are at best hard to predict and evaluate. But entering Nov. 2, Hellebuyck’s third in the NHL in save percentage (.940).

He has been especially dominant at even strength, leading the league in even strength save percentage. Hellebuyck has even improved his primary weakness, which is killing penalties. On paper, his .914 save percentage is nothing to write home about. However, it puts him in the top third of the league (minimum five starts). And considering Hellebuyck’s save percentage in those situations was .859 in 2016-17, it’s a promising improvement.

So what’s the reason for the rise? There are several noteworthy factors. First of all, the Jets penalty kill is still allowing goals at a below average rate, relative to the league. However, they’re limiting the damage done by cutting down on penalties. Killing penalties adds a lot of fatigue to goaltenders, so naturally, doing so less often can lead to improvement.

The next two factors are related. Hellebucyk trained this offseason with Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild. More importantly, he changed his offseason training by working with goaltending guru Adam Francilia. Those factors are likely related because Dubnyk is one of Francilia’s clients (and arguably his biggest success story). Adam works on a variety of things, including nutrition and the mental aspect of goaltending.

Hellebuyck has clearly benefitted from his teachings. Before, he used to get down after allowing a goal. It would seemingly eat at him, throwing him off his game. Now, Hellebuyck seems much more level-headed and focused.

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Now that he has shown he has the potential to be a franchise goaltender, the onus is on him to be one. It involves being consistent, something Hellebuyck has struggled with in the past. But this year, he seems to be different. Hopefully for the Jets, he’ll continue to emerge as one of the NHL’s top young goaltenders. Because they’re putting a lot of eggs in his basket.

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