News broke on Friday morning that will make the Colorado Avalanche happy, and it doesn’t even have anything to do with the team directly. The Winnipeg Jets will be without one of the best goaltenders in the league, Connor Hellebuyck, for 4-6 weeks. Hellebuyck will be undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee at some point, knocking him out of action.
Things are tight in the Western Conference standings. The Avalanche hold the number one spot with 14 wins and 33 points, followed by the Dallas Stars with 13 wins and 29 points. The Jets, while seventh in the conference, have 12 wins and 24 points. In the grand scheme of things, those gaps aren’t that big, considering that the Avalanche have 62 games remaining on the schedule, while the Jets have 63.
However, the Jets will be riding with Eric Comrie for the time being. Comrie is 4-1 this season, which is absolutely respectable. He has a save percentage of .908, which is solid. I bet the Avalanche hope that Comrie has some rough games here and there in Hellebuyck’s absence. That could lead to some panic.
Comrie has one start against the Avalanche, and his Jets team lost as he allowed three goals on 36 shots.
I could see the Jets trading for a goaltender due to the fact that Comrie is the only goaltender between their team and their AHL affiliate team, the Manitoba Moose, who has any experience in the NHL. Things can get pretty rocky for them if Comrie ends up not being a good long-term fill-in while Hellebuyck recovers.
The Colorado Avalanche have to remain on the gas going forward
Just because Hellebuyck won’t be available for the Avalanche rival Jets doesn’t mean Colorado can afford sitting back and hoping Winnipeg falls on their face. While they can’t control what happens in Jets games aside from their head-to-head, the Avalanche have to remain on a steady pace as best as they can.
No, the great start the Avalanche are on is not sustainable for an entire season; However, they can and likely will continue to make noise across the league. They are on a seven-game win streak right now, with the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks making up their next three opponents. They finish out the month against the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens.
The Avalanche don’t face the Jets until December 19, roughly a month from now. In fact, just two a couple of days short of a month from now. That puts Hellebuyck as a possibility to return for that game, though technically falling short of that period. It will be interesting to see if Hellebuyck shows some rust when he returns. If that’s the case, it might be best for the Avalanche if he gets the nod for that game, though if we as fans notice a struggling goaltender, the Jets will too. Perhaps Comrie does get the nod then.
Either way, the Avalanche need to be prepared for any and all situations. It’s the perfect opportunity for them to keep flying high while the Jets try to find their footing while riding with a backup goalie for the time being. Maybe Hellebuyck’s injury and absence will be enough to put too much pressure on the Jets, leading to a season in which they miss the postseason.
There’s no reason to panic if you’re the Avalanche, though. They just have to go out and play their game regardless of who the goaltenders are. They made it known that they have that ability with some strong games against solid goalie competition.
Also, a lot can happen between now and a month from now. The Avalanche should be getting Logan O’Connor back soon, as well as Valeri Nichushkin at some point. Adding those two players to an already-strong offensive game is going to be huge. The future is bright for the Avalanche in the 2025-26 season, no matter who is between the pipes for the Winnipeg Jets.