Michael Wilbon Rips Connor Hellebuyck After Jets Goalie’s Public Trade Request
Connor Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg. Michael Wilbon is not letting him leave quietly.
The Jets’ Vezina-winning goalie made his trade request public this week with training camps set to open Sept. 16. He had asked privately months ago. On Sunday, he decided the world needed to hear it. “With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Wilbon watched that and went off on Pardon the Interruption.
“Basically, he’s saying, ‘Oh, we need better players.’ Well, then be one of them, dude. Then be better,” Wilbon said. “They gave you the security you wanted, the money you wanted. They rewarded you. You signed the deal.”
That is the point in a nutshell. Hellebuyck signed a seven-year, $59.5 million extension in 2023. He signed it knowing exactly what the Jets are. A mid-market Canadian franchise that has a hard time landing free agents, cannot outspend anyone, and depends on their goalie stealing games.
Since that extension, Winnipeg has made the playoffs twice and never gotten past the second round. Last year they missed entirely with 35 wins. Hellebuyck put up numbers, then wilted in the postseason each time, and now he wants to blame the roster on his way out.
Sports fans forgive a lot. They do not forgive a superstar walking after taking the security. That is the Wilbon read, and it is not wrong.
Where does Hellebuyck actually want to end up? The reporting has connected him to New Jersey, where the Devils’ front office likes his profile and can offer a long-term deal built around a title window. The Devils have Jack Hughes. They have Nico Hischier. They are one lockdown goalie away from being a legit Eastern Conference favorite.
The Jets are stuck. Trade him and they lose the best player at the position in the sport. Keep him and they walk into training camp with a franchise player who does not want to be there.
Kevin Cheveldayoff has to work the phones. Getting fair value back is nearly impossible when the entire league knows the goalie is not coming back. The Devils, Kings, Oilers, and Panthers all have reasons to call. Winnipeg’s leverage is limited.
The Wilbon rant will echo. Hellebuyck was one of the most respected players in his sport 12 months ago. Now he is the guy who wanted the bag and the exit ramp. Both cannot be true, and he just made everyone say the quiet part out loud.
Whatever happens next, Winnipeg looks like the loser. Losing a Vezina goalie is a franchise-altering event. Losing him because he asked to leave is worse.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
