Connor Hellebuyck Is Reportedly Skipping Jets Training Camp, And The Staring Contest Is On

Connor Hellebuyck is officially hitting the snooze button on Winnipeg Jets training camp.

According to a report from Daily Faceoff, the star goaltender is not expected to report to the team as camp opens. This turns a summer of quiet trade whispers into a full-blown public staring contest.

"Report: Connor Hellebuyck not expected to report to Jets training camp (via Daily Faceoff)"

Holding out of camp when you are a 33-year-old goalie with an $8.5 million cap hit is a bold move. It is the NHL equivalent of leaving your read receipts on and ignoring a text from your boss.

The Jets are now stuck in a brutal leverage vacuum. You do not just easily replace a guy who routinely plays 60 games a year and is just two seasons removed from winning both the Hart and Vezina trophies during a 47-win Presidents' Trophy campaign.

But keeping an unhappy, highly paid netminder away from the team while trying to set the tone for a new season is a recipe for a locker room disaster. Winnipeg has to figure out if they are actually willing to trade him, or if they are just asking for the moon and hoping a contender gets desperate.

Futures bettors holding Winnipeg tickets might want to look away right now. A team missing its franchise goalie before the ice even freezes is usually a fast track to a lost season, and the odds will absolutely reflect that massive uncertainty.

Now we wait to see who blinks first. Either the Jets find a trade partner willing to swallow that massive contract, or Hellebuyck decides he actually misses the Manitoba winters. Until then, the Winnipeg crease is officially a vacancy.