The Winnipeg Jets have gotten off to a flying start to the NHL season despite having their best player, Connor Hellebuyck, suspended by the team after failing to show up for training camp after demanding a trade.
But as the star goalie sees his lost salary total grow by the minute — thanks to the handy Hellebucks site, created by a Jets fan — there have been murmurs that the American is considering a return.
NHL insider David Pagnotta noted over the weekend that the possibility of Hellebuyck ending his holdout and trying to patch things up with the team may be gaining steam.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing more throughout the week with respect to the possibility of him coming back to Winnipeg in the not too distant future,” Pagnotta said during an appearance on NHL Network.
However, it surely won’t be all hugs and handshakes if and when the superstar goalie returns, the insider noted.
“Things could get ugly. They could get awkward, definitely, in that room,” Pagnotta added.
Why was Connor Hellebuyck suspended?
Hellebuyck has been one of the best goalies in the NHL throughout his career, not only winning three Vezina Trophies, but also taking home the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2025.
However, as the Jets have continually fallen short in the playoffs, Hellebuyck – who has played his entire 11-year career in Winnipeg – joined a growing trend of star players requesting trades despite being signed to long-term deals which include no-trade clauses.
While fellow U.S. Olympic gold-medal winner Brady Tkachuk got his wish from the Ottawa Senators and was dealt to Florida, both Hellebuyck and former Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin remain stuck with their current teams.
But apparently, being sidelined, unable to participate in practice while missing pay cheques, has Hellebuyck pondering a return — even if a deal can’t be made.
“There are already some whispers coming into the weekend that Connor Hellebuyck may be internally starting to debate within his inner circle: when is the most appropriate time, should he go back with everything going on if they can’t expedite a trade here in the next week, two weeks, end of the month,” Pagnotta said.
According to reports, the biggest holdup in potentially trading the wantaway goalie is that no potential partner has met the asking price set by Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who has refused to budge as the season rolls on.
Winnipeg hasn’t missed their star goalie much, either. The Jets have lost just one game in regulation so far, going 3-1-1 for seven points in five games. They play host to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
Former Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner has played well between the pipes, going 2-0-1 with a 2.62 GAA and .920 save percentage.
What is the Hellebucks website?
While many Jets fans were upset with Hellebuyck over his desire to skip town, one fan decided to poke some fun at the situation.
Robson Fletcher created the Hellebucks website when he began pondering just how much the goalie was throwing away with his holdout.
“I built it because I was kind of thinking about how much money he was giving up,” Fletcher said during a radio interview with 680 CJOB last week.
“It was meant to be funny, informative and just a little bit petty.”
According to the site, Hellebuyck has forfeited more than $557,000 US as of Tuesday morning.
As the site notes, the goalie is losing $38,660 every day and that 7.4% of his 2026-27 salary ($7.5 million) already is gone.
Hellebucks also notes that the netminder’s lost salary equates roughly to 317,945 Slurpees, 397 sets of goalie pads or 529 months of rent in Winnipeg – one bedroom, with heating, thankfully.
“We’d have built you a statue. Instead, we built this counter,” the site says.