Welcome back to the seventh edition of the “Jets Nation year in review” series to wrap up the Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season. This series continues on as summer has officially begun and the NHL draft is less than a week away. I’ll continue to look at the individual seasons from Jets players throughout the 2025-26 season, while previewing their upcoming 2026-27 seasons. There’s still some Jets star players to be covered, including Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey who will likely be the next two articles. However, on this Sunday afternoon, it’s the two Jets goaltenders who are today’s focus, both of which had below average seasons: Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie.

Both Jets goaltenders entered the 2025-26 season with big expectations, especially from Hellebuyck. The 2024-25 season was a historic MVP and Vezina winning season for Hellebuyck, so the Jets were looking forward to seeing how he would follow it up. Comrie was entering his 2nd and final year of his current contract with the Jets, and last season he mostly had to sit back and watch Hellebuyck’s greatness. This season, Comrie was needed to step up to the starter’s role when Hellebuyck got injured, and it forced Comrie to try and prove if he can be a true quality backup goalie in this league.

Connor Hellebuyck’s 2025-26 season had a lot more downs than ups following a near perfect 2024-25 season. Hellebuyck appeared in 57 games, posting a record of 23-23-11. Hellebuyck’s 23 wins is a big drop off from his near record setting 47 wins last season, and the 11 overtime / shootout losses were notable as the Jets struggled to pick up the important second point throughout the season. Hellebuyck had a 2.86 GAA, which isn’t a career worst for him, but it’s a drastic underperformance compared to his last three seasons. Hellebuyck had a career worse .895 save percentage, which is somewhat reflected by the league average dropping, but also because of his inconsistent performances. Another notable stat was that Hellebuyck had 0 shutouts this season, the first time in his career he hasn’t gotten more than 2 shutouts in a season.

Eric Comrie’s 2025-26 season wasn’t great either, and it was a real test for a goalie who’s spent his entire career either in the AHL or as a limited backup goalie. Comrie appeared in a career high 25 games this season, posting a 12-11-1 record. Comrie had a 3.13 GAA, which isn’t a career worse, but like Hellebuyck it’s a big drop off from his 2.39 GAA last season during the Jets very successful regular season. Comrie had a below average .890 save percentage, and he also finished the season with 0 shutouts. I’m not sure how many teams this season didn’t have any shutouts, but it seems pretty rare to have no goalies on your team pick up at least one shutout in a full season.

Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, there’s different headlines for both Jets netminders. Hellebuyck has been in trade rumours recently, which would signify a major shift in the Jets’ goals for next season if he were to be moved. Hellebuyck is still more than likely a Jet next season, and he’ll need to have a big bounce back season in order to lead the Jets back to the playoffs. Hellebuyck will be entering the 3rd year of his seven year contract in which he has a $8.5 million cap hit. Hellebuyck won’t be a free agent until 2031, so unless the Jets struggle again next season and decide to move Hellebuyck, Winnipeg will be his home for the rest of his career. Something else that can’t be forgotten about in the 2025-26 season was Hellebuyck’s terrific performance at the 2026 Olympics. Hellebuyck had a historic gold medal game performance against Canada to lead USA to the gold medal in Italy.

For Eric Comrie, this off-season he’s an unrestricted free agent. The 30-year old has bounced around the league a bit since being drafted by the Jets back in 2013, and this off-season is the next big step in his career. Comrie’s next contract will likely be near league minimum, and it’ll be up to the Jets to decide if they want to bring him back as the Jets backup next season. Thomas Milic appeared in 3 games this season when Hellebuyck was injured, and he’s one of two or three options that the Jets have in the prospect pipeline when it comes to their future netminders. The Jets might also want to explore the goalie market this season for another veteran backup goalie to replace the fan-favourite Comrie, but it’s still uncertain which direction the Jets will go with their backup goalie next season.

Overall, it’s easy to call this a mostly disappointing season for both Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie. Despite being a very solid duo in the 2024-25 season, the futures are uncertain for this tandem which looked like it would be among the league’s best for years to come. Goalies as good as Hellebuyck have a good chance of regaining success the next season, so it’s not time to count out Hellebuyck just yet. If the Jets do decide to trade Hellebuyck (which is still at this time unlikely), it will open up a path for Thomas Milic or another Jets goalie to make the league next season. Comrie is an unrestricted free agent who is a fan favourite for all the right reasons, but it’ll be a pure business decision this off-season for the Jets to decide if it’s worth bringing back Comrie for the 2026-27 season. Whatever happens, Jets fans should be confident in looking ahead to having a great goaltending duo that will lead them to more success in the near future.

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on June 26th and June 27th, less than a week away. The Winnipeg Jets will be selecting 8th overall in the 1st round. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Jets Nation “year in review” series article coming in a few days, and draft coverage starting on Friday, June 26th!

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