Finally, the Jets' Real Feelings About Hellebuyck Show Through

Sometimes it takes a little time for the real feelings to come out. That seems to be happening in Winnipeg, where head coach Scott Arniel has finally put words to what Connor Hellebuyck’s departure has meant to the Jets.

Hellebuyck won't start Tuesday when the New Jersey Devils visit Winnipeg. For Arniel, that decision is disappointing, but perhaps not for the reason some might expect. He wanted the game to provide a little closure for a team and a fan base that have moved on without one of their most important players.

Instead, the Hellebuyck story continues to haunt the Jets.

Arniel didn't mince words when asked about Hellebuyck's absence. He said the goaltender had "just given up on us," pointing to the ownership, the fans, and the teammates who had been alongside him from the beginning. That's a fairly strong statement from a coach, and it's worth listening to what sits underneath it.

Professional sports can make departures look awfully tidy. A player asks for a trade, a deal gets completed, and everybody is expected to turn the page. But the people left behind don't necessarily turn it that quickly. Teammates have shared years of work, difficult losses, important wins, and the belief that they were building something together.

Kyle Connor's reaction offered another glimpse into that disappointment. The longtime Winnipeg teammate said he didn't even think Hellebuyck sitting out the game was a possibility. He thought he would play, as did the other Jets players.

Related: Are the Jets Goalies Just the Easiest Target?

Hellebuyck's departure was more personal than many people might have realized.

There's something revealing about that. Even after a trade, some of the old expectations remain. The Devils have their own explanation. General manager Sunny Mehta said Hellebuyck wanted to play but that the organization believed starting him could reduce its expected win probability. That's a numbers-based argument, but it doesn't necessarily address the human side of the situation.

And perhaps that's where the two teams see things differently. New Jersey is looking at its next game and its chances of winning. Winnipeg is looking back at a relationship that ended in a way that still doesn't sit comfortably. Hellebuyck has been winning with the Devils, and the Jets have to get on with their own season.

Some unfinished business still remains between the Jets and Hellebuyck.

They'll meet again in New Jersey on November 28. By then, perhaps some of the disappointment will have settled. But Arniel's comments remind us that trades don't always end when the paperwork is finished. Sometimes the harder part is what everybody has to live with afterward.

Still, that won’t be on home ice. As a result, the Jets fans will have to wait until the next meeting in New Jersey for another chance to see how this story plays out.

Related: The Jets Without Hellebuyck Now Have Different Problems