MAJOR | Worrying statement from Connor Hellebuyck regarding his future in Winnipeg

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Felip Gosselin
April 29, 2023 (11:53)

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The Jets' season came to an end when they surrendered 4 losses to the Golden Knights in the first round. The Jets' core has come to maturity and they've yet again failed to make a meaningful run for the cup.

Today, the Jets held their annual year-end meeting and worrying statements came out of this one. Connor Hellebuyck's been the Jets starting netminder for quite a few seasons now and he's made a name for himself. The soon-to-be 30-year-old goaltender is in the midst of his prime and he's made it quite clear that the next achievement on his list was a Stanley Cup.

Hellebuyck will be on the market for a new deal at the end of 2024 and the information he's given to the media today will have the Jets' fans worried:

''My main goal is to win a Stanley Cup and I'm starting to run out of time and can feel it. Wheels talks about this all the time. It just flashes by. And I'm starting to understand. You do need to be in the hunt every single year. You've got to make the most of your years''

While the netminder openly stated that he'd be listening to offers coming from Cheveldayoff, it's quite clear he wants to be in a position to win, and if the Jets' fail to provide him the opportunity Hellebuyck could be out the door as soon as next summer.

Eric Engels, a renowned journalist in the hockey sphere, also held worrisome words regarding the atmosphere at today's media availability:

''I watched the entirety of Wheeler/Helly presser live today and my takeaway from it was neither appears to believe the Jets will or should remain intact. Was hard not to feel this way about it through every answer they gave.''

This surely paves the way for an interesting summer in Winnipeg. While it's already believed that a Pier-Luc Dubois trade is in the works, after such interviews, there might be more.