- Josh Morrissey says he hopes Connor Hellebuyck is back in a Jets uniform this season
- Morrissey called the trade speculation around his goalie part of the business
- Read below for the full Morrissey quotes and where the Hellebuyck trade market sits
Josh Morrissey wants his goalie back.
The Jets defenseman sat down with Murat Ates of The Athletic to talk about new fatherhood and the season ahead, and the conversation got around to the thing Winnipeg has been chewing on all summer. Morrissey has heard the Connor Hellebuyck trade talk. He is not buying all of it.
“You can’t believe everything you might see or hear out there,” Morrissey said. “At the end of the day, I hope Helle is back playing for us. He’s the best goalie in the world. But what happens, doesn’t happen, whatever, that’s with him and his agent and the organization. It’s something that’s part of the game and part of the business.”
Here’s the excerpt Ates shared from the conversation:
Hellebuyck carries a no-movement clause and is signed through 2030-31 at $8.5 million per season, so nothing moves without his approval. He turned 33 in May with three Vezina Trophies and a Hart on the shelf. The Stanley Cup is the only line missing from the resume, and Winnipeg following a Presidents’ Trophy with a seventh-place finish in the Central did nothing to sell him on winning one here.
Ates asked whether Jets players take that read on their roster personally.
“I can’t put words in someone else’s mouth. Clearly, last season was disappointing for us,” Morrissey said. “Individually and as a team, it was frustrating, and yet we were still knocking on the door of getting in. But hopefully, for everybody, and I think I speak for everyone, making the first round is never the goal. The goal is to win the Stanley Cup.”
The market itself has gone quiet. Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Tonight that he asked around and came away with very little, though he still expects Hellebuyck to be dealt at some point and figures the talks warm up closer to training camp.
Hellebuyck went 23-23-11 in 57 starts last season with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage, the worst mark of his 11-year career. He was sharp enough in February to help the United States win Olympic gold in Milan.
Morrissey pointed at the talent still in the room when he made his case for a bounce-back. Mark Scheifele piled up 103 points, fifth-most in the NHL. Kyle Connor chipped in another 92.
“We’re a year removed from being the best team in the league,” Morrissey said. “Having some issues last season with injuries and whatnot, it seemed that a lot of things that could go wrong did go wrong. Now, that’s not an excuse. But I do feel personally confident in the group.”
This is not the first time the 31-year-old has been asked to speak around a teammate’s future. He called the leaguewide wave of trade requests an interesting time back in July.
Two years remain on Morrissey’s own contract. That window does not stay open forever, and it gets a lot narrower without Hellebuyck in the Winnipeg net.
