As crazy as it sounds, he gives the Winnipeg Jets the best chance to win. Their all-world American hero goaltender isn’t getting it done right now, and the only action he needs to see is from the bench.
The Winnipeg Jets need Connor Hellebuyck to get back to where he was. Everyone agrees on that. He’s been decidedly mediocre, sporting a .904% save percentage and 3.09 GAA in 19 starts.
That’s uh, not going to cut it on a Stanley Cup hopeful. I’ve decided to replace ‘contender’ with ‘hopeful’ based on what this team has shown me this season.
Maybe I’ll upgrade them, but it’ll take some better play all-around, and certainly better play from the goaltender. Well, one of them has been fantastic in his small sample size.
Laurent Brossoit should be starting for the Winnipeg Jets, indefinitely. Not permanently, unless he goes all Andrew Hammond on us and takes off.
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Look, this isn’t an article I wanted to write. I tried to put it off. But Connor Hellebuyck hasn’t just been mediocre, he’s been awful. Last game against Chicago may have been his worst of the season.
Staked to several leads against a very bad opponent, Hellebuyck seemed determined to blow every one of them. And he damn near succeeded. If I was Paul Maurice, I would’ve pulled him in the third.
I don’t care about feelings, if he gives up that lead to that team, it’s catastrophic. For morale, for the team’s long-term chances and most of all, his confidence. Getting pulled probably wouldn’t be great for that either, but hey, his play has warranted it.
And he’s not getting better. He’s had one good start in his last five, and it was a loss to Minnesota. Helly’s stopped just 98 of his last 108 shots, for a .907% save percentage, which strangely is above his season mark. It’s still bad.
As for Brossoit, his play has warranted more time. If Hellebuyck was playing well, I’d say it’s fine. But he needs a break. Three game MINIMUM. Let Brossoit start the whole road trip, against New Jersey, the Isles and the Rangers. Shouldn’t be too difficult.
If he acquits himself well, keep starting him. These games are too important to let slip away due to poor goaltending. And yes, the defense has been not great, but Brossoit gets the same one.
And it’s not getting any better now that Dustin Byfuglien is on IR. But right now, anyone who has watched these games knows Hellebuyck isn’t helping the Jets right now. And they need help.
Will Brossoit do it? I don’t know. I believe in him a bit, but can he be a starter right now? And a good one? I don’t know. Maybe. The organization likes him, and so do I.
But this is not what either of us envisioned when they acquired him to backup their “star” goaltender. Getting Hellebuyck right is a priority, but he’s not doing that on his own on the ice right now.
Winning is THE priority, and he’s barely doing that while his team is spotting him SIX goals. Against Chicago. So, uh, yeah, sit down on that bench there, Connor. It’ll be okay. He’s not this bad.
But right now, he’s really, really bad. And this team needs anything but that. The offense is clicking, but even they must get discouraged when every lead disappears. It’s frustrating to me, and I’m not out there working every day.
Paul Maurice needs to pull the plug. It’s the only option right now, even if it’s just for a week or so.