WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his knee and be out four to six weeks, the team said Friday.
Jets coach Scott Arneil said Friday that Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goalie, had been trying to play through a knee injury, and the timing is right to get it taken care of.
“Obviously, he’s, what is it, 10 years, he’s been pretty healthy,” Arniel said. “And this has kind of been nagging on him here since training camp. It’s something we’ve kind of known about, he was trying to play through it, would be good days, bad days, just something that, timing’s right, get it done now.
“A lot of schedule ahead of us, so that was really just the thinking. Sat down, talked to him, obviously the medical staff, everybody, agent. This was the time to do it.”
The surgery comes less than three months before the start of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Milan, Italy.
Hellebuyck is 8-6-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .913 save percentage this season for the Jets (12-7-0), who entered a game Friday against Carolina in third place in the Central Division.
The 32-year-old Hellebuyck won his first Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and his second straight — and third career —Vezina Trophy in 2024-25, helping the Jets to the best regular-season record in the NHL. He also won the award as top goalie in 2019-20.
Hellebuyck, from Commerce, Michigan, was not included in the first group of six players announced for the United States’ Olympic preliminary roster, but was widely expected to be added to the team.
Eric Comrie is expected to take the Jets starting role in Hellebuyck’s absence. He is 4-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage this season.
In a corresponding move, the Jets called up goaltender Thomas Milic from the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.
“Obviously we’ve been really fortunate to have Helly be healthy and available," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "His durability is something to marvel at. Obviously now without him, you can’t replace a guy like that.
“But we’re super confident in Coms and Milly and our defensive game. But definitely, we’ve been fortunate to not have him out of the lineup for a whole lot of years.”
Hellebuyck, who last played on Nov. 15 in a victory over Calgary, was 47-12-3 last season. He has a career record of 330-191-44 with a 2.56 GAA and .918 save percentage and 45 shutouts.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The San Mateo Union High School (SMUHSD) Sustainabilty Committee presents a community event:… Read moreWater is Life
The San Mateo County Blue Star Moms, a local military moms support group is holding a karaok… Read moreHelp Support our Troops
cube_corner said:
Maybe the state government should stop doing everything they can to push out and destroy Silicon Valley and capitalism?
cube_corner said:
Huge waste of time and money. Just make it easier and cheaper to build.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.