‘His resume speaks for itself:’ Jets confident in Connor Hellebuyck despite history of playoff woes

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry/Imagn Images

In sports, some players perform at an all-time level during the regular season, but consistently fail to reach those levels during the playoffs. Then, some are quiet during the regular season but become cult heroes during the postseason. Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is turning into the best example of the category players don’t want to find themselves in.

With the National Hockey League having just released its three finalists for this year’s Vezina Trophy (best goalie), Hellebuyck finds himself the favorite again. The 31-year-old American would become the fourth goalie since 1982 to win two consecutive Vezinas and three in total. Hellebuyck would join an elite group of Hall of Famers, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, and Dominik Hasek.

Hellebuyk won his first Vezina trophy in 2019-20, registering a .922 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average. Last year, he took home his second Vezina Trophy, with a .921 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average. 2024-25 was by far the best regular season of Hellebuyck’s career, posting a .925 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average, both career bests. His goals against, 47 wins, and eight shutouts led the NHL.

However, we are not here to talk about the Hall of Fame regular-season resume that Hellebuyck has built, because what many fans value in the long haul is playoff success.

There has been a drastic difference between Hellebuyck’s play in the NHL’s 82-game regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 568 regular-season games, he has a 322-185-44 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.56 goals against average. In 49 playoff games, he is 20-29 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.95 goals against average

Hellebuyck started his playoff career strong in 2017-18, registering a 9-8 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.36 goals against average. Hellebuyck led the Jets to a Western Conference Finals appearance, the closest the Jets have come to the Stanley Cup since the franchise was relocated to Western Canada in 2012. Since the 2017-18 season, and despite one impressive statistical playoff campaign in 2020-21 where the Jets went 4-4, Hellebuyck’s playoff career has gone downhill. The netminder has not posted a winning record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (six completed years) following his first playoff run.

Hellebuyck’s last three playoff campaigns, including this year, have been particularly bad, posting .886, .884, and .817 save percentages across the three seasons. Per TSN, Hellebuyck has allowed four or more goals in 10 of his last 14 playoff games dating back to 2023 when the Jets lost in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights. In a five-game, first-round series loss to the Colorado Avalanche last year, Hellebuyck posted a 5.23 goals against average, the highest of his playoff career.

The Jets have been one of the best teams in the NHL over the last two seasons, tallying 110 points last season and a franchise-best 116 this year. The Jets won the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy for finishing the regular season with the most points. Unfortunately for the Jets, only eight teams have won the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season, with the last team to accomplish that feat being the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012-13.

The Jets weren’t letting that eerie statistic faze them heading into this year’s playoffs. Fresh off their best season in franchise history, the Jets got off to a hot start in their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. Hellebuyck allowed four goals and made 35 saves as the Jets got out to a 2-0 series lead before heading to St. Louis.

Having had a career-best season, many expected Hellebuyck to finally impress on hockey’s biggest stage, but his history meant there were still some skeptics. Things were looking good for the American netminder until Game 3. Hellebuyck allowed six goals on 25 shots for a .760 save percentage. He was pulled in the third period for backup goaltender Eric Comrie. The Blues would win the game 7-2. Game 4 was not any better for the soon-to-be 32-year-old. Hellebuyck conceded five goals on 18 shots for a .722 save percentage. Once again, he was pulled in the third period for Comrie. The Blues would win the game 5-1 and even the series at two.

Per TSN, including regular season and playoffs, this was just the second time in his career that Hellebuyck was pulled in back-to-back games. In four playoff games this year, he holds a .817 save percentage and a 4.24 goals against average.

There is still time for Hellebuyck to rebound from his poor performances on the road, but not much as the series becomes a best-of-three. While his playoff resume will leave most fans questioning his ability to perform when the lights are brightest, Hellebuyck’s coaches and teammates still have faith in the soon-to-be three-time goalie of the year.

“I’m 100 percent confident in Connor Hellebuyck,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel after the Game 4 loss. “His resume speaks for itself. I can look at all the goals. Those are coverage goals, those are things that we usually handle pretty well. We didn’t tonight.”

“Lots of confidence [in Hellebuyck],” said Jets veteran defenseman Luke Schenn. “He’s had an unbelievable year, and you watch the replay of the goals that went in, they’re deflections, they’re screens, they’re bouncing off us and in, and just, obviously, we’ve got to do a better job in front of the net.”

While many factors could lead to Hellebuyck’s playoff struggles, there isn’t a clear answer. Does Hellebuyck thrive in a small market during the regular season? Is there too much pressure in the playoffs now that there is a lot more attention on him? Do his defensemen struggle in the playoffs? We may never know.

All the questions will go away if Hellebuyck improves his play and leads the Jets on a deep playoff run, or even more favorable for his resume, a Stanley Cup win.