It’s Friday, we got news, and it’s probably a mixture of not-so-good and not-so-bad for fans of the Winnipeg Jets and the USA Olympic hockey team. The news is goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had Arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss the next four-to-six weeks. It would be ideal if he didn’t have to miss time. However, for both Winnipeg and Team USA, the timing of this injury is the ‘not so bad’ part. If the projected timetable comes to fruition, he will be back in plenty of time to get reps in for Winnipeg before trekking off the Milano-Cortina games.
Jet and Team USA News Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck Out Following Knee Surgery
This news for Hellebuyck is a bit of a relief for Jet fans, as he won’t be out longer. The Jets have been decent on the year, at 12-7-0, they currently sit third in the NHL’s Central Division. But it hasn’t been seamless.
So far in 2025-26, the Jets goaltenders have not been pulled. When Hellebuyck hasn’t played, their backup Eric Comrie has stepped in well. Moreover, Hellebuyck is currently 8-6-0 on the season. He has a 2.51 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Not necessarily what we’ve come to expect in terms of Hellebuyck’s standard, but holding the fort, nonetheless. Meanwhile, Comrie has done well, going 4-1-0 in his five starts. He gets the start tonight versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
Let’s Breakdown the Stats
Overall, despite the less-than-Hellebuyck-esque quality of statistics, he still maintains a high standing overall. According to JFresh’s current Vezina Trophy rankings, he would have him third. Therefore, we have statistical evidence of why his positioning in the Team USA ranks makes sense.
From a deeper statistical analysis, courtesy of moneypuck, Hellebuyck is still among the top tendies in the game. In terms of shots allowed, Winnipeg could use some improvement at 22nd at 28.9 per game. However, they do well on the penalty kill, at sixth at 84.3%. This can be thanks to the goaltending. For Hellebuyck, his 2.09 wins above replacement puts him third. Finally, his high-danger save percentage above expected is 1.81. For goalies who played five or more games, that ranks him fifth. So, he has been able to maintain a high standard, despite some possible mediocre play in front of him.
Main Photo Eric Bolte Imagn Images
