Player Discussion: 2023 Vezina Finalist Connor Hellebuyck

[Krauser]

Playing in the wide-open North division behind the Jets leaky team defence is doing Hellebuyck no favours for his GAA (15th among starters) and save percentage (11th), but in Goals Saved Above Expectation -- which accounts for quality and quantity of shots faced -- he's near the top of the league again:



Helle lead the league in GSAx last year by several models:

 

[rubikscube]

Unsurprisngly, Hellebuyck just out here being the greatest goalie in The Great White North by a mile. What a pleasant surprise at #2 though!

 

[Romang67]

Unsurprisngly, Hellebuyck just out here being the greatest goalie in The Great White North by a mile. What a pleasant surprise at #2 though!

An Oilers mod mentioned before the play-ins that Brossoit has been consistently good one year, bad the next his entire pro career. If that holds, he should have a good year this year.

 

[DRW204]

Brossoit right behind Helle in only 4 appearance.

 

[GumbyCan2]

Its his good year, like like rasberry bushes. Play him all 1st periods and then put Helle in last 2. We should win 95% of tge rest of the way. Might even catch the Mable Laffs, in that case.

Brossoit right behind Helle in only 4 appearance.

 

[jetsforever]

Brossoit right behind Helle in only 4 appearance.

Up there with such legendary goalies as Petersen, Campbell, and Mrazek

 

[cbcwpg]

Jets’ Hellebuyck Takes Unconventional Path to NHL and Vezina Trophy.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

One of the top five goalies in the league. But his puck handling gives me too much anxiety.

One thing that I'll never understand was how he didn't get an MVP nomination.

But I think Brossoit should get a shot as a starter one day. But if he and Hellebuyck have a tandem going, we definitely have a very good shot at the cup.

 

[snowkiddin]

I wonder where he would go in a redraft. 2012 was a weak draft, does he have a shot at going #1?

 

[Romang67]

He's now second in the league in sv% above expected. Barring something completely out of left field, Vasilevsky will cruise to his second Vezina win, but if Hellebuyck continues like this he'll earn his third finalist placement in four seasons.

NHL Goalie Statistics

 

[tbcwpg]

I wonder where he would go in a redraft. 2012 was a weak draft, does he have a shot at going #1?

Another goalie went in the 1st round that year, a Russian dude named Vasilevsky.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Another goalie went in the 1st round that year, a Russian dude named Vasilevsky.

Wonder if Helly would have done as well on tb as they always had/have better systems better d. Better defensive forwards.

 

[tbcwpg]

Wonder if Helly would have done as well on tb as they always had/have better systems better d. Better defensive forwards.

Based on their goals saved above expected this season I'm not sure that's true.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Based on their goals saved above expected this season I'm not sure that's true.

Okay. It was just thought and question if I’m wrong I’m wrong.

 

[snowkiddin]

Another goalie went in the 1st round that year, a Russian dude named Vasilevsky.

Right, forgot about him. Helle is a bit behind him. Of course, Vasilevsky benefits from much better defense and a better system.

 

[tbcwpg]

Okay. It was just thought and question if I’m wrong I’m wrong.

No it was a good question. They're certainly a better team and have been. I'm not sure it's true this season, but it usually is.

 

[Deedog99]

I remember telling my buddies during the pavelec years you don’t know what a good goalie is until you have one then you never want to be without. Nice to have one.

 

[snowkiddin]

I remember telling my buddies during the pavelec years you don’t know what a good goalie is until you have one then you never want to be without. Nice to have one.

Pavelec was good... without him we wouldn’t get so many high draft picks to help build our current core!

 

[Jets4Life]

I remember telling my buddies during the pavelec years you don’t know what a good goalie is until you have one then you never want to be without. Nice to have one.

I remember when Pavelec completed his first season, and was a RFA. I believe his agent hinted that Pavs would play in the KHL, if he didn't get what he wanted. Boy was that a mistake. Pavy played well for one month in 2015, and was mediocre for the duration of his stay. I knew we had something special in Hellebuyck since 2013-14.

 

[garret9]

I remember when Pavelec completed his first season, and was a RFA. I believe his agent hinted that Pavs would play in the KHL, if he didn't get what he wanted. Boy was that a mistake. Pavy played well for one month in 2015, and was mediocre for the duration of his stay. I knew we had something special in Hellebuyck since 2013-14.

I remember a lot of people arguing against @truck and I about Pavelec...

 

[Evil Little]

I remember a lot of people arguing against @truck and I about Pavelec...

At the time, I bet a lot of those people hadn't properly followed a hockey team since the dawn of the butterfly era.

 

[castle]

Pavelec was adored for his acrobatic saves. You get to make more of those when you've lost your net and are way out of position. It looks spectacular. Our defense was maligned for so long, perhaps a bit unfairly.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I am a bit concerned that we have fallen out of the top 10 in the league. We are 0.500 wins and losses going back 18 games now to the beginning of March, even with some pretty spectacular goaltending by Helle. We may be squandering these great performances by our keeper. Other than Brossoit's recent stinker, he has been solid too. But Helle has been utterly spectacular in a number of recent games.

 

[Jet]

I remember when Pavelec completed his first season, and was a RFA. I believe his agent hinted that Pavs would play in the KHL, if he didn't get what he wanted. Boy was that a mistake. Pavy played well for one month in 2015, and was mediocre for the duration of his stay. I knew we had something special in Hellebuyck since 2013-14.

That was definitely Chevy's worst contract. Luckily there haven't been too many stinkers since.

 

[Jets4Life]

At the time, I bet a lot of those people hadn't properly followed a hockey team since the dawn of the butterfly era.

Good point.

In 2011, Pavelec had just turned 24. He also tended to have good stats, when it came to the first 30 games of the season. In fact, in the last season of the Thrashers, he led the NHL at point point, and was named player of the week or month in November 2010, if I am not mistaken. When Pavelec was due for a contract extension, my main concern was we had no legitimate replacement, and Pavs would bounce back and become the goalie that he was, when he played lights-out for the first half of the 2010-11 Thrashers season.

For myself, the turning point was that 2 game series against Washington in late March 2013. Pavs was atrocious, and the Jets got blown out in both games. We were within 2 points of the Division lead, and ended up not even qualifying for the playoffs. The next season, I was actually rooting for the Jets to play Montoya, as he was playing far above the level Pavelec was in 2013-14.

Hellebuyck, of course would be turning heads from 2012-15, and had a good rookie year. I was one of his few defenders in 2016-17, when he had his only mediocre season. I knew we had something special in Helle, and he did not let me down. He is arguably the Jets only untouchable asset.