NHL analyst names Connor Hellebuyck among the biggest losers of the NHL offseason
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Despite his clear goaltending dominance in the league, an NHL analyst has named the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck as one of the biggest losers of the NHL offseason.
When NHL fans are asked to name some of the best goaltenders currently playing in the NHL, among the first to come up is the Winnipeg Jets' own Connor Hellebuyck. Aside from Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, he is the only goaltender in the league with more than 15 shutouts in the last three years. Additionally, after his performance in the recent playoffs, Connor Hellebuyck received his second Vezina Trophy.
Despite his clear value to the Winnipeg Jets and the league at large, Connor Hellebuyck was recently named one of the biggest losers in this NHL offseason. The Bleacher Report's Adam Gretz claimed that because of the goaltender's outstanding skill, Jets leadership has become complacent in building an effective team around him.
"The problem with having an elite franchise goalie like Hellebuyck is they tend to trick teams and front offices into thinking their team is better than it actually is because the goalie can mask so many flaws. The front office gets complacent and doesn't feel pressure to change things, the team gets stuck, and it eventually wastes its goaltending gift."
Gretz continued his rant about the Winnipeg Jets' offseason strategy, ultimately deciding there was none. He expressed that, if anything, Connor Hellebuyck can expect a worse season due to losing some key players: Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Nate Schmidt, and Brenden Dillon. Additionally, his backup, Laurent Brossoit, was replaced with Kaap Kahkonen, who is expected to underperform his predecessor.
"As good as the Jets' regular season was, it was still a very flawed team, especially with its defensive play and the way it supported Hellebuyck.
Nothing that was done in Winnipeg this offseason has changed that. In fact, the support around Hellebuyck has likely gotten significantly worse with the departures of Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Nate Schmidt, Brenden Dillon, and backup goalie Laurent Brossoit. The only significant addition has been a new backup goalie, Kaapo Kahkonen, who is likely to be worse than Brossoit was.
Not only will Hellebuyck likely have a worse defense and less scoring depth in front of him, he also may have to take on an even bigger workload with a lesser backup behind him."
Nothing that was done in Winnipeg this offseason has changed that. In fact, the support around Hellebuyck has likely gotten significantly worse with the departures of Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Nate Schmidt, Brenden Dillon, and backup goalie Laurent Brossoit. The only significant addition has been a new backup goalie, Kaapo Kahkonen, who is likely to be worse than Brossoit was.
Not only will Hellebuyck likely have a worse defense and less scoring depth in front of him, he also may have to take on an even bigger workload with a lesser backup behind him."
Connor Hellebuyck was recently voted by fans as the league's second-best goaltender, ranking just behind Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers. However, it has become clear that the remainder of the Winnipeg Jets are not putting in the same effort for the success needed to win a Stanley Cup. With six more years on his $8.5 million AAV contract, hopefully, his team's front office gets a clue and turns their laziness around.
Source: Breakaway
Jets Goaltender Named Biggest Loser of Offseason
Jets Goaltender Named Biggest Loser of Offseason
| POLL | ||
21 AOUT | 106 ANSWERS NHL analyst names Connor Hellebuyck among the biggest losers of the NHL offseason Are the Winnipeg Jets squandering Connor Hellebuyck's talents? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 55.7 % |
| No | 47 | 44.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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