Hellebuyck / Brossoit Tandem Has Eased Past Goaltending Anxieties

Part of the general sense of calm, even with Hellebuyck’s below-expectations start, is thanks to the fact the Jets appear to have a bona fide second string netminder available.

Laurent Brossoit, an off-season pickup by the Jets, has performed well above expectations during his starts, to the tune of a .935 save percentage over the course of a 5-1-1 record. Brossoit never put up the numbers he was expected to in Edmonton, but the Jets scouting team clearly saw something they felt would be beneficial – and it appears to have paid off. Brossoit, like Hellebuyck, trains with Francilia resulting in a tandem of goalies who play on the same foundation. Francilia works with his goalie clientele fundamentally differently than any other skater – the mechanics of the goaltender position require different mechanics at their root, often in precisely opposing manners to that of the primary skating positions of hockey.

So what’s changed, from that Vezina finalist season a year ago to the rough start of this one?

Hellebuyck has spent more than a single season as the starter. Opposing scouts have had an opportunity to read the book on him, metaphorically speaking, and come up with plans of attack on how to beat him. Glove side is often a target when Hellebuyck is in net, and plays that result in maximizing the chance of difficult to control rebounds that prevent him from maintaining his squared-up positioning are being run as often as possible. The defensive lines have been banged up severely over the last several games which has not helped matters, and Hellebuyck by and large is facing a higher number of high-danger attempts than in years prior.

Hellebuyck is also facing the same challenge all goalies are this year – the shrunk down padding and jerseys have resulted in higher scores across the league, and there have been more than a handful of saves where he has looked genuinely shocked that a goal was scored – and potentially because of this change, those shots would have merely been shots not goals just a year ago.

While Brossoit is a fantastic ace in the hole, keeping him as such is a huge boon to the Jets moving into the heart of the season rather than attempting to ride the hot hand. Keeping his games played down to prevent other teams from getting the hard reads on him means Brossoit can be more reliable to steal games when needed, should the need arise to play him, including in back-to-back situations. Having someone proven to be reliable this season also forces Hellebuyck to keep his head in the games, as there is the perception that Brossoit can try to make a play for the starting role (contract notwithstanding).