Darren Dreger with a big update on Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck

“I’d look to have him back in the net starting for the Jets potentially next week”

Those words spoken by TSN’s hockey insider Darren Dreger today in Colorado Springs at the Board of Governers Meetings is probably music to the ears of Jets fans who have been lamenting the absence of the reigning NHL MVP and Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck since he had a procedure on his knee in late November.

Hellebuyck skated for the first time on Monday although head coach Scott Arniel was quick to douse cold water on the idea that it meant he was close. “When you start seeing him in practice, then we’ll have a conversation” he told us in his media availability just yesterday.

But a lot can happen in 24 hours it would seem.

Dreger was asked about the news regarding Hellebuyck and his full quote about 37 was:

“”We’re counting it in days now; we’re not looking at weeks or even possibly longer than that. So great news for the Winnipeg Jets, for Connor Hellebuyck, and obviously Billy Guerin and Team USA because they’ve been keeping close tabs. Hellebuyck was on the ice on Monday; he continued with his practicing. Mostly goalie movements, nothing more than that on Tuesday, but he felt so good afterwards that they feel like they can elevate more quickly. So the goalie movements will translate into taking shots. Connor Hellebuyck, believe it or not, actually wanted to play perhaps as early as this weekend, and the Jets staff were like, ‘hold on a minute here, let’s just back off.’ So it is highly, highly unlikely that he’ll be back in the crease of the Winnipeg Jets this weekend, but I’d look to have him back in the net starting for the Jets potentially next week.”

Huge news as the original assessment was 4-6 weeks of missed time. If he does indeed return next week it would be somewhere between 3-4 weeks since he had the procedure.

Obviously given the freefall the Jets are currently in getting him back sooner rather than later would be massive for this team.