The reliable guy behind Hellebuyck: Laurent Brossoit Jets Nation year in review

Hello again, welcome back to another Jets Nation year in review. After a quick break on the weekend, it’s time to dive back into this end-of-season series. I’ve covered most of the major players on the Winnipeg Jets already, but we still have about 10 or so players to talk about. I may or may not include some of the players that only played less than half a season worth of games because they might just be depth pieces. One player who is a must to talk about regardless of how many games they play is the backup goalie. This season it was Laurent Brossoit, who was a very reliable #2 behind Connor Hellebuyck throughout the 2023-24 season.

Like most goalies, Laurent Brossoit had a lengthy career path to get to where he is in the NHL today. The 31-year old from Port Alberni, BC is a former 6th round, 164th overall pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2011 NHL entry draft. After a few seasons splitting time between the AHL and ECHL, Brossoit got a limited amount of games with the Edmonton Oilers between 2014-2018. The Jets gave Brossoit a full-time backup position in the 2018-19 season and he spent 3 seasons with the Jets before going over to the Vegas Golden Knights. After getting his name on the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights last season, Brossoit came back to the Jets for the 2023-24 season.

Numbers wise, this was Brossoit’s best season of his NHL career. In 23 appearances, Brossoit went 15-5-2 with a 2.00 goals against average and a wonderful .927 save percentage. As a duo with Connor Hellebuyck, they combined this season to allow a league low 199 goals, winning them the William Jennings trophy. Unfortunate for Brossoit, he only played 23 instead of the league minimum 25 games required to have your name included on this trophy. Regardless, it doesn’t take away from the great season that Brossoit had behind Hellebuyck with this Jets team this season.

Brossoit made a brief playoff appearance in game 4 of the Jets 5 game series loss when he entered in the 3rd period to replace Hellebuyck who allowed 4 goals already that night. Brossoit only had to make 4 saves in his appearance, and the move was simply done to give Hellebuyck some rest before game 5. Hellebuyck did struggle somewhat during the playoffs, whether it was his performance or just the team in front of him not helping him out enough. This led to some discussions, especially after each of the losses after game 2, as to whether Brossoit would get a start this series. This wouldn’t be the case though, as it was too difficult for the Jets to not trust in a Vezina-caliber goalie in Hellebuyck to continue to try to perform at his best regardless of the previous outcomes.

Where does Brossoit go from here then after quite a successful 2023-24 season? Brossoit ranked 36th in wins with 15, 10th in shutouts with 3, and made 575 saves ranking him 56th, which are some good numbers for a backup goalie with a somewhat limited number of games. Before looking at Brossoit’s contract, it’s important to get a brief scouting report on him to undertstand what makes him a valuable netminder. Brossoit is one of those calmer, patient goalies that you see around the league. As a backup goalie, all you can hope for is that he gives your team a chance to win each night, and that’s certainly what Brossoit provides. He’s got the size, and other traits that make him a good backup goalie such as competitiveness and ability to step in when called upon.

Brossoit, as I mentioned, is in his 2nd stint with the Winnipeg Jets. He signed a 1 year, 1.75 million dollar deal on Canada Day (also free agency day) in 2023. Based on his performance, the 31-year old will be looking for a bit of a pay increase in the 2024-25 season. This makes it tough for the Jets to be able to re-sign Brossoit, depending on what they decide to do with their other unrestricted free agents. Brossoit may want to stay with the Jets, but he may also want to sign with a team that allows him to get more playing time. A lesser possibility, but one that’s certainly an option for Brossoit, is being able to sign with a rebuilding team that may even offer him a role as their starting goalie.

It’s one of the many questions that the Jets will have to face this off-season: will they re-sign Brossoit or look for another backup goalie next year? Thomas Milic is a young upcoming goalie within the organization who may be able to step into the backup role if Brossoit finds himself a new team. Jets fans are hoping Brossoit comes back in the 2024-25 season, but if he doesn’t we should still appreciate the great effort he put in this season, establishing himself as a premier backup goalie in the league.