‘Gave up on us’: Jets coach Arniel’s comments on Hellebuyck drama are very telling

The Winnipeg Jets are getting set to host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night in what could have represented star goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s first game back at his old rink.

Instead, the Devils have opted to sit him to prioritize an upcoming home-and-home against the Washington Capitals, leaving Jets fans, players and coaches alike disappointed they won’t be able to get closure on the matter after Hellebuyck’s trade request and subsequent exit.

Star Winger Kyle Connor weighed in, as did Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who noted that Hellebuyck “just gave up on us” before lamenting that his absence from the ice on Tuesday night meant the team and fans would not be able to put the matter behind them.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Arniel’s comments and what it indicates about the situation that the veteran coach was willing to be so frank.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I mean Arniel’s saying that Hellebuyck ‘gave up on us.’ We’ve talked about this before with the way Kyle Connor and Scheifele and a bunch of different guys in that room have spoken about it, Arniel choosing those words, that’s significant for me. Again, to bring it back to like, they’re not buying any of the BS. And I know people are doing, ‘he was threatened and this, yada yada.’ If that was the case, the players would have sympathy for him. The coach would have sympathy for him. They very clearly don’t. There’s still going to be, and Arniel says we’re going to have to do this whole thing in nine months or whenever, whenever Hellebuyck does play in Winnipeg before the end of his career, he can’t hide forever. I get that frustration from the Jets side of the room, of like, ‘Oh my god, can we just end this thing?’

Carter Hutton: That’s the tricky part, too. So then when they go down there, I think it’s November 28 they play in Jersey. So again, now there’s more hype about it, but you’re not giving him a chance to be in front of the fans and deal with it when you could have just got ahead of this and got it done. I think it just goes to show… when the head coach comes out and say that, you have to understand the frustration from the Winnipeg Jets’ side is real. This is a real thing. People care. This is a sport like no other when it comes to wearing the crest and the team that you’re with above no other… I think it just adds a little more juice. It could have been nipped in the bud and just been over with, but here we are.