Connor Hellebuyck, the presumed goalie of the future, is struggling in his first full NHL season. Michael Hutchinson on the other hand, isn’t playing like an NHL-calibre backup, thus placing more responsibility on the shoulders of Hellebuyck. The Jets need a boost in net and it’s likely they can’t get that from anywhere else internally. Looking down to the Manitoba Moose, the Jets have Ondrej Pavlelec and Eric Comre waiting in the wings and neither of the two net-minders would be of much help at this time. 

Pavelec, the Jets former starter, was demoted for a longetivity of poor play. Whereas Comrie, 21, needs to be properly developed and seasoned in the AHL for the remainder of this season before the idea of him making an NHL-start is considered.  

Should the Jets look for another goaltender to improve the teams goaltending and furthermore, help take the load off Connor Hellebuyck?

When the Jets started out the year with Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson as the teams goaltenders, you wouldn’t find many complaining. After the long-overdue demotion of Ondrej Pavelec took place, many were optimistic about the Jets goaltending going forward. While the idea of having the young Hellebuyck as the teams number goaltender presented a new day in the Jets crease, the reperucssions of such a move weren’t thoroughly examined. 

Goaltenders take a long-time to develop. Usually they’ll take their time in the AHL to adjust to the pro game and then gradually work their way to becoming an NHL goaltender. In Hellebuycks case, playing behind a weak depth chart of goaltending saw him virtually be handed the job with no real competition to take it from him.

With the way he’s playing now, Michael Hutchinson isn’t putting up much of a fight to earn ice-time.

Season          GAA         SV%

Hutchinson isn’t helping the Jets win hockey games, thus passing the torch solely upon Connor Hellebuyck’s shoulders. Thats tough for Hellebuyck to handle so early in to his career and with no real competition/ mentor to show him the ropes, he’s had his fair share of difficult games. 

The Jets currently sit 20-21-3 and one would think with improved goaltending, the Jets would likely be holding a firmer grip on a will card spot. While the argument could be made the Jets would likely have been better off acquiring a goaltender before the season, it’s not too late to correct their mistake. 

Due to the upcoming expansion draft, there are a handful of stop-gap options that could stop the bleeding in Winnipeg. The Jets don’t need to acquire a new starting goaltender, because soon they will have one in Connor Hellebuyck. They need a goaltender that can help bring along Hellebuyck by competing with him and showing him the ropes of how to be a starting goaltender. A 1B goalie of sorts that has starting calibre, but can take somewhat of a backseat when needed is exactly what the Jets need.  

Here’s an idea:

Someone like Marc-Andre Fleury could be a perfect fit with the Jets. Eventually, we’ll see Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford shop Fleury and when that time comes, Kevin Cheveldayoff should at least gauge interest on a possible trade. 

Fleury, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, is under contract until the end of the 2018-2019 season and that would fit perfectly with the Jets. For the next two seasons, Fleury could compete with Hellebuyck for ice-time and make the Jets better for the time being. This would allow Hellebuyck to learn from an elite goaltender and for the Jets to have a more than stable situation between the pipes while Hellebuyck learns the ropes of an NHL startting goalie. 

The tricky component to a possible Fluery deal is that he has a no-movement clause it’s unlikely he’d waive his no-trade clause to come to Winnipeg and serve as mentor to Hellebuyck like he currently is with Matt Murray in Pittsburgh. 

Adding another high-priced goaltender could be difficult given the Jets cap circumstances. With Ondrej Pavelec’s 3.9 million dollar cap hit remaining on the books until the end of the season,  Winnipeg may be reluctant to add another high-priced goaltender. Along with that, bringing in a goaltender this late in to the season isn’t a guarantee to fix the Jets woes. The market for goaltenders is a high-priced one and the Jets likely don’t want to sacrifice assets to get a goaltender that may only serve a purpose for another two years. 

With a young goaltender like Hellebuyck, growing pains are going to be an automatic. Even the leagues best goalies, such as Carey Price, had their growing pains when they entered the league.  

Connor Hellebuyck needs help and Michael Hutchinson simply isn’t doing his job. The Jets should have braced for Hellebuyck’s growing pains before the season and seeked a 1B calibre goalie, but that’s in the past and it’s time to look forward. Winnipeg needs to be quick on their feet and attempt to salvage the remainder of this season and if making a trade for a goaltender helps them get back on track, they should certainly consider it. 

Another early start to golfing season may not bode well with Jets ownership. It should be kept in mind that the expiry date of both Paul Maurice and Kevin Cheveldayoff’s contracts are around the corner in 2018. 

The Jets are lucky enough that they have their core young players on entry level contracts for the time being. Along with key veterans Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler locked up for the next few years, the Jets should be aiming for the playoffs while they have this current roster in-tact. The Jets shouldn’t be slowly chipping away at building a contender, they should be striving for it right now. 

That all starts from their goaltending and if improvements aren’t made, the Jets aren’t going to be taking any steps forward. 

Plain and simple.