Hellebuyck on Winnipeg exit: ‘I hope they know I care about them’
Connor Hellebuyck (Mike Sudoma / Free Press Files)
IT took until the very end of his introductory news conference Saturday — right around the 15-minute mark — before Connor Hellebuyck was finally asked the question that hockey fans back in Winnipeg were likely waiting for.
“Is there anything you’d like to say to Jets fans?” a reporter who covers Hellebuyck’s new team, the New Jersey Devils, put to him during the session held inside the Prudential Center in Newark.
A short pause followed.
“I mean, there’s a lot. There’s a lot that I need to say,” Hellebuyck began, no doubt raising plenty of eyebrows around here and the hockey world in general.
The air was quickly let out of the balloon.
“But they have the Heritage Game coming up. So out of respect for them and for the celebration of hockey, I’m going to postpone that to a later date,” Hellebuyck continued.
“I hope they know I care about them.”
And that, folks, was as close as we got to any sort of immediate answers about what prompted Hellebuyck to demand a trade from the only NHL home he’s known, then refuse to show up to training camp this fall which triggered a suspension from the Jets which cost him nearly US$1 million in salary.
Perhaps we’ll get some more insight on Nov. 10 when Hellebuyck and the Devils visit Canada Life Centre to face the Jets.
“Sitting at home for so long was getting to me,” said Hellebuyck, who is in the third year of a seven-year extension he signed with the Jets in 2023 that pays him US$8.5 million per season.
“I’m just really excited to play hockey again and join a really skilled group. This is a new chapter for my career and I’m really excited about my future here.”
Hellebuyck revealed he’d been working out daily in Michigan along with a pair of free agent skaters Robby Fabbri and Antonio Stranges in order to stay sharp over the past several weeks.
How quickly might he be ready to make his Devils debut?
“I don’t think at this point in my career it’s going to take me long,” said Hellebuyck, who waived his no-trade clause in order to come to New Jersey.
“I think I’m in a really good place now.”
The tense standoff with the Jets came to an end on Friday morning when Hellebuyck was traded to New Jersey for a package including four players — Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Nico Daws and Alexander Command — and two draft picks.
“It ramped up very significantly in the last couple days,” Devils general manager Sonny Mehta told reporters about trade talks with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.
“You want to bet on a person that has a large sample size of excellent results, who’s on a good cap hit. That’s literally the three things that hit with Connor.”
Some may view it as parting shots toward the Jets as Hellebuyck spoke about why he believes the Devils can win a Stanley Cup — something he openly questioned about Winnipeg at the end of last season when they went from first-overall to 26th-overall in the standings.
He touted not only their ability to play good defence, but size on the blueline and the ability to generate offence.
“That’s exactly what they have here. They have a blend of that here,” said Hellebuyck. “When those guys need to score goals, they need to know they have a rock back there.”
Hellebuyck said he’s come to learn that veteran goaltender Jake Allen, who becomes his backup, is an avid fisherman, “so I think we’re going to really hit it off.”
He is also good friends with new teammate Jack Hughes, who scored the overtime winner against Canada to give the United States the Olympic gold medal in Milan last February — a game in which Hellebuyck stood on his head and ultimately was given the Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Donald Trump in a White House reception.
It was that sequence of events many believe led to Hellebuyck’s exit from Winnipeg. He and his wife were subjected to some online harassment and threats which the Jets say led to police involvement.
Hellebuyck only briefly touched on that subject Saturday, saying he loves when people approach him with stories about watching the Olympic triumph.
“I know I’m going to get a lot more here than Canada, because I don’t think they care so much about it,” he said. “This is closer to my family’s home, and I think just being in the USA it’s going to be very exciting for the next chapter of my career.”
Hellebuyck was asked about moving from a big “fishbowl” that is playing hockey in Canada to a place where the sport doesn’t have quite the same fervour — and whether he’s going to enjoy some additional peace and quiet.
“It’s a catch-22. Some people love that. Sometimes you just want to be left alone,” said Hellebuyck.
“Canada loves their hockey. And I’ve felt that to the bone. I’ve loved my time there and I’ve loved the people that I’ve met. A lot of good friends and made a lot of good relationships there. So I can’t say one is better than the other.”
Former captain Blake Wheeler, who played with Hellebuyck for several seasons and was in town for this weekend’s Alumni Game, pushed back at the notion this is another blow to the reputation of Winnipeg and the Jets organization.
“I can count on one hand the number of guys that wanted to leave. I got a lot more names, a much longer list of guys who wanted to stay here long-term. We’ve got a lot of guys in this locker room who committed to this place for multiple long-term contracts,” said Wheeler.
“There’s only been a few who have gone the other direction, and I don’t think that’s unique to Winnipeg. You could go through any organization, there’s guys looking for trades. This is a special place. Anyone that has put on this jersey and played in front of these fans, they know it.”
Wheeler, who played a dozen years in Winnipeg, then retired in 2024 after a final season with the New York Rangers, was asked what makes it so special.
“It starts from how the guys get treated here. It’s first class all the way. They get treated like gold. Ownership really takes care of you,” he said.
“From how you get fed to how they treat the families to the kids, they’re always welcome in this dressing room. It’s such a community that’s built in this environment. And then when you step out on the ice and you have people cheering you on every night, it’s a great building to play in.
“I always compare it to the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. It’s such a small-town vibe. We had some rough times here, too, and any time you’d go out in the community people were so supportive. I think that makes guys want to go the extra mile to try to win.”