Even in the dog days of summer, a key question looms over the Winnipeg Jets: will Connor Hellebuyck continue to take the team's crease?
Captain Adam Lowry is operating as though the answer to that question is yes.
“I expect him to come to camp. I expect him to prove he’s the best goalie in the world … Until something happens, he’s a Jet, he’s a good friend, and we’re excited to get him back," Lowry told The Athletic's Murat Ates in an interview published Friday.
In late June, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said that he is listening to trade offers for Hellebuyck as the team comes off a year in which it missed the playoffs, one season after winning the Presidents' Trophy.
Hellebuyck has a full no-movement clause and five years left on a seven-year contract that carries an annual average value of $8.5 million.
"All indications are he’s a Winnipeg Jet," Lowry said. "That’s the way we’re approaching the situation. My job is to support my teammates, to show up and help us win, and I believe everyone approaches it the same way. As long as they’re in the locker room, we’re behind them."
Hellebuyck, the 33-year-old Michigan native, expressed frustration with how things unfolded with the Jets last season in his end-of-year press conference.
That led to trade talks, including with the Buffalo Sabres, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The goalie finally got his first taste of a championship in February when he backstopped Team USA to an Olympic gold medal. It made the Jets' disappointing season that much worse.
"What we did was unacceptable, and no one wants to be a part of that," Hellebuyck said in his post-season press conference. "This year, it was chaos."
Lowry said there's a known formula for how Winnipeg can return to the top of the standings.
"The Winnipeg Jets we can hang our hat on? We have the best goalie in the world. We’re a really good defensive team in front of him when we’re playing our best. We’re good on the rush, in transition. We forecheck hard, recovering a lot of pucks."
Training camp for the 2026-27 season is set to begin next month. The Jets open their season Oct. 2 at home against the Boston Bruins.
