'Hard to believe': NHL players rank Jets' Hellebuyck a lowly No. 3 (2025)

Connor Hellebuyck is not the best goalie in the NHL or even the second-best, according to the players who face him every game.

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The annual NHL Players Association poll has the Winnipeg Jets netminder ranked third, behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

“That’s crazy,” Jets forward Cole Perfetti said upon learning of the poll results, Tuesday. “I don’t have much to say on that, other than obviously people aren’t watching the Jets enough if that’s the case. His numbers prove it. His play proves it. He’s the backbone of the Presidents Trophy team and he’s been the best goalie all year. That’s hard to believe.”

Backstopping the NHL’s top regular-season team, Hellebuyck is the odds-on favourite to win his second straight Vezina Trophy as the league’s best, as voted on by general managers.

Players are less impressed. Just 15.6 percent chose him as the best overall goalie. Vasilevskiy got 31.1 percent of the votes, Shesterkin 23.6 percent.

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“Hellebuyck’s the best goalie in the league,” Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg said. “He’s shown that all year. Vasilevskiy has been on a tear here. But Bucky has been solid for us all year. So we’re going to go with consistency.”

The poll results come a year after players ranked Hellebuyck fourth among people they’d want between the pipes for a must-win game.

His lack of playoff success could be blamed for that.

His numbers this season – he has the most wins (46) and the best saves percentage (.924), while he’s tied for the No. 1 goals-against-average (2.02) – make these results more of a surprise.

Like last year’s poll, Hellebuyck is the only Jets player to crack any top-five list.

Not even Josh Morrissey made the grade as one of the NHL’s best overall defencemen, nudged aside by runaway winner Cale Makar of Colorado, as well as Quinn Hughes in Vancouver, Victor Hedman of the Lightning, Nashville’s Roman Josi and Adam Fox of the Rangers.

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The NHL’s most complete player? No sign of Mark Scheifele amongst the Sidney Crosbys, Aleksander Barkovs, Nathan MacKinnons and Connor McDavids of the world. Auston Matthews and Anze Kopitar tied for fifth in that category.

The best playmaker? Nope. That honour goes to Nikita Kucherov, with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Artemi Panarin and Crosby behind him.

The other categories – best faceoff man, smartest overall player (both Crosby) and best overall skater (McDavid) – didn’t include anybody from Winnipeg near the top, either.

The home of the Jets, though, claimed third place for the best ice for a third straight year, behind the home of the Habs in Montreal and the Oilers in Edmonton.

paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca

X: @friesensunmedia

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