Connor Hellebuyck was absent as Scott Arniel's Jets gathered Monday, and that no-show made Winnipeg's biggest problem impossible to ignore.
The Jets opened their pre-training camp schedule with the organization's annual golf event. Hellebuyck was nowhere to be seen as teammates began filtering back together.
It's sadly official for Jets fans, Hellebuyck is done in Winnipeg, if there already was not enough confirmation.
He will not be seen in Jets colors once again.
On its own, missing a golf tournament means little. Against the backdrop of Hellebuyck's public trade request, it carries considerably more weight.
This isn't a player arriving late while preparing for another season in Winnipeg. The Jets are trying to move their franchise goaltender, and their first team event arrived without him anywhere around the group.
That makes the picture increasingly difficult to ignore. Winnipeg can technically still call Hellebuyck its goalie, but everything surrounding this situation is pointing toward separation rather than reconciliation.
No trade has been completed. Yet Hellebuyck staying away as camp approaches makes the idea of seeing him casually return to the Jets crease feel increasingly remote.
Hellebuyck's Jets chapter looks close to finished
The bigger problem for Winnipeg is that wanting a trade and finding one are two different things. The offers coming back for Hellebuyck have reportedly been described as “terrible,” leaving the Jets squeezed between his desired exit and their own asking price.
His trade protection narrows the path even further. Hellebuyck is believed to be unwilling to waive his no-trade clause for another Canadian team, removing potential destinations from an already complicated market.
That leaves Kevin Cheveldayoff facing an uncomfortable reality. Winnipeg wants to remain competitive and reportedly isn't interested in simply accepting a futures-heavy return to make the problem disappear.
But the closer camp gets, the louder Hellebuyck's absence becomes.
Players are returning. Arniel is preparing his group. The season is moving toward puck drop, while the most important player in Winnipeg's crease remains detached from the picture.
Nothing official says Hellebuyck has worn Jets colours for the final time.
Still, his absence from the opening gathering looks far more like the beginning of the goodbye than the beginning of another season together.
Has Connor Hellebuyck already played his final game for the Winnipeg Jets?
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