Opinion: Connor Hellebuyck's Words To Jets Fans After Trade To Devils Ring Hollow

The Connor Hellebuyck saga with the Winnipeg Jets has come to an end after his trade to the New Jersey Devils. Hellebuyck came out Saturday and tried to mend fences with Jets fans who feel betrayed, but his words ring hollow.As the fallout over the Connor Hellebuyck saga moves into its damage control stage, it’s important to remember what business the NHL is in. Pro sports, in its most basic form, is tribal. It’s ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’, and when you bail on ‘Us’ to join ‘Them’, you cross a line that no amount of lip service is going to smooth over.That’s what you have to realize when you see Hellebuyck come out Saturday and try to manage the optics of what he’s done by engineering his way out of Winnipeg – a city that bends over backward to appreciate Winnipeg Jets players. Hellebuyck tried his best to say the right things, but you can’t fault angry Jets fans for hearing Hellebuyck’s rationalizations and feeling that his words ring hollow. When he was asked at his introductory press conference with the New Jersey Devils, he was asked if he had a message to Jets fans. He said that with the Heritage Classic between the Jets and Montreal Canadiens, he would postpone those comments to a later date in "respect for the celebration of hockey." However, he did throw in that he cares about his old fan base.Circumstances can indeed change for any athlete in a city for any number of reasons, but in Hellebuyck’s case, this idea that he was constantly beleaguered just feels so weak. If you're going to be an athlete in the public eye, you have to learn to live with some exposure and some transparency. And It’s obvious that Hellebuyck wants to take the millions of dollars that come with being a high-profile athlete and attempt to have it both ways by being totally anonymous as a member of New Jersey.Related storiesThis isn’t solely a Winnipeg issue, as Hellebuyck certainly isn’t the first athlete to do what he did. Mitch Marner made the same calculated choice of wanting big bucks and zero profile when he pulled the chute on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the pressure-free, quiet life of a Vegas Golden Knights player. So the Hellebuyck saga isn’t solely about an American who wants to be outside of the microscope. It’s about a coddled star who abandoned his teammates and a loyal fan base.Americans such as Ottawa Senators star defenseman Jake Sanderson and Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews can handle their high profile. No, this is more about pampered stars who want out of a situation when the going gets tough. So when Hellebuyck returns to Winnipeg as a member of the Devils, nobody should blame Jets fans if they empty their lungs in anger over the way this has played out. Hellebuyck's meekly mumbled words aren’t going to take away the bitterness that will greet him each and every time he’s back in Manitoba. The people of Winnipeg deserved better than what Hellebuyck has done here, and the goaltender's public relations flailing isn’t going to make Winnipeggers forget it.If you’ve negotiated a no-trade or no-move clause like Hellebuyck did on his eight-year contract that began in 2024-25, you have every right to use it. But what you don’t have is a guaranteed easy ride out of town. People are going to resent you for leaving.Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff took the classy route in discussing Hellebuyck’s legacy in Winnipeg. But Jets fans are under no such directive to manage the optics of Hellebuyck’s departure. In the final estimation, Hellebuyck chose ‘Them’ instead of ‘Us’. And the fallout from his decision won’t sit well with the players in the Jets’ dressing room and the fans who’ve paid their hard-earned money to support Hellebuyck throughout his 11 years in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck can try to dress up his exit as some sort of benign ‘journey’, but that’s code for ‘please let my good name never be sullied’. And in that regard, Hellebuyck has absolutely no say in the matter. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.