Winnipeg Jets' Captain: 'Hellebuyck trade talks not worth our time'
Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry isn't ready to let Connor Hellebuyck's trade talks get in the way of his team getting off to a strong start.
“Helle’s’ a good friend of ours, so it's not something that we think is going to really impact the room,” Lowry said. “It's not going to create a big divide. It's a personal decision that he's made and one that he thinks is best for his family, and until that situation’s resolved we're just going to approach it … he’s our teammate, he's our friend and go from there. We’ve all got to worry about our own game -- the team game.”
Lowry caught up with the media in Vegas this week, and made one thing very clear, the dressing room won't be distracted by what's going on off the ice in Winnipeg. “Obviously the situation is what it is,” Lowry said after a captain’s practice on Tuesday. “(If) you spend so much time speculating on it you're going to drive yourself crazy. The situation is going to resolve itself one way or the other, and I think from our perspective we've got to focus on getting ourselves ready for camp, getting the team ready and things like that. And as long as he's a member of the Jets, we'll treat that situation as such. Until that time, I don't think it's worth our time in the locker room speculating what's going to happen. We've got to use the guys that are here and do our best to have a rebound year."
Lowry is well aware how much Hellebuyck can impact the Jets' success, but if he doesn't want to play in Winnipeg, Lowry has to put their friendship on the backburner, and focus on who wants to be a Jet.
“Helle’s’ a good friend of ours, so it's not something that we think is going to really impact the room,” Lowry said. “It's not going to create a big divide. It's a personal decision that he's made and one that he thinks is best for his family, and until that situation’s resolved we're just going to approach it … he’s our teammate, he's our friend and go from there. We’ve all got to worry about our own game -- the team game.”
The Jets are expected to move Hellebuyck in the coming days, and could start the year with Stuart Skinner as their number-one goalie. Lowry is familiar with Skinner's game and feels he's more than capable of leading the Jets. “Getting to skate with Stu a bit in the summertime, (and) I think in talking to (Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty) and stuff, (Skinner) has been a guy that (Flaherty) has had a lot of praise for and really believes in his game and really thinks he can help him,” Lowry said. “Kind of leading the Oilers to two Stanley Cup Finals, he's a really proven winner in this league and he will be a great compliment to whether it's ‘Helle’ or someone else.”