Jets' Connor Hellebuyck suspension ends October 23

The clock everybody assumed wasn't running has been running since October 2. That was the Saturday afternoon bombshell.

Spittin' Chiclets

@spittinchiclets

Connor Hellebuyck’s suspension is set to end October 23, per @FriedgeHNIC. Hellebuyck had informed the Jets he intended to report before their season opener.

Quick refresher. Hellebuyck asked out after the 2025-26 season, took the trade request public in August and never showed up to camp. The Jets suspended him. What nobody outside the building knew was that he had told Winnipeg before the October 2 opener that he planned to report. Under the CBA, a player who skips camp without permission and then comes back is subject to a disciplinary suspension of 'reasonable length.' So the holdout was already over. The punishment has been the only thing keeping him out, and it ends Friday.

The timing is brutal. Friday is 2 days before the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic, so a 3-time Vezina winner could theoretically show up for an outdoor game in front of a fan base he asked to leave. He is signed through 2031 at an $8.5 million cap hit, and he has already given up close to 10% of this season's salary sitting at home. Carolina and Los Angeles have reportedly called. Kevin Cheveldayoff has said he won't rush a trade and hasn't gotten an offer good enough.

The Jets played that night, and the postgame room was all Hellebuyck. Captain Adam Lowry didn't pretend everybody would hug it out on Friday.

Spittin' Chiclets

@spittinchiclets

Adam Lowry made it clear there’s going to be some conversations if Connor Hellebuyck returns to Winnipeg.

Lowry is a good friend of Hellebuyck's, and even he sounded tired of how long this has dragged on. Kyle Connor, who has been loud before about how awkward a return would be, passed on the question entirely. When your captain is talking about conversations and your top scorer won't touch it, this is not a room getting ready to welcome somebody back.

By Monday morning the conversation had moved to trade. Former NHL goalie Andrew Raycroft thinks the rest of the league should be all over this right now.

Daily Faceoff

@DailyFaceoff

Could Connor Hellebuyck be traded before Halloween? Andrew Raycroft believes teams should be making a "full-court press" to acquire the Jets goaltender as his suspension comes to an end. More on Morning Cuppa Hockey ☕️ 🎧: t.co/unvw5qTkiJ 📺: t.co/wk8Q0rVYFf

He has a point. A Vezina-calibre goalie with a known end date on his suspension is about as clear a trade window as you'll get. The problem is that Winnipeg's leverage shrinks every day. Waiving him or tearing up the deal would be giving him away for nothing, and he has a no-move clause, so they can't stash him in the minors without his OK. A paid stay-at-home arrangement is the ugly option that's still on the table.

At practice Monday, head coach Scott Arniel pushed back on the idea that the dressing room has already made up its mind.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

#NHLJets Scott Arniel on a potential Connor Hellebuyck return. "I don’t think our whole group is saying ‘Oh, we don’t want you.’ There’s some things that have happened on the outside that have probably built that narrative. We’re really just trying to see how this plays out.”

That's a coach trying to cool things down. Cole Perfetti was a little more direct an hour later, and his version comes with conditions.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

#NHLJets Cole Perfetti on Connor Hellebuyck. “All I'm going to say is that we want guys that want to be here. And if he comes back and kind of recommits to the group and shows to us that he wants to be a part of this…I think this group is pretty tight-knit, pretty committed.”

Translation: earn it back. That's about as warm as anyone in Winnipeg has been all weekend, and it still sounds like a dare. If Cheveldayoff finds a deal by Friday, none of this matters. If he doesn't, Hellebuyck can walk into the rink as a Jet that morning, with the Heritage Classic 2 days later and a room that wants to hear from him first. Watch the trade wire this week, because a goalie this good and this expensive is going somewhere or he's coming back.