“He's been pretty healthy. This has been kind of nagging on him since training camp. It's something he's kind of known about. He was trying to play through it. He'd have good days, bad days. Just something the timing's right, get it done now,” said head coach Scott Arniel.
“We have a lot of schedule ahead of us. I was really just thinking, sat down and talked to him, obviously medical staff, everybody, the agent... This was the time to do it."
Clearly the first priority for Hellebuyck is the Jets and their championship aspirations. But the Olympics are just around the corner and a chance to represent the United States at the Winter Games is a big deal as well.
“He is sore after games and couldn’t practice. He didn’t practice for a couple of days. So, there was still that. It has been building a little bit more and it wasn’t going to get any easier for him. I know he would love to just keep playing,” said Arniel.
“So, it wasn’t looking at what was coming down the road, whether it’s the Olympics or the playoffs, it is (about) him getting healthy for that second half and the big run.
Jets captain Adam Lowry summed up the feeling of the team when asked about the news of the day. It is obvious the group has full confidence in Eric Comrie and that they are starting to find the defensive structure that has made them successful the past two seasons.
“To put it plainly, it sucks. You lose the Hart Trophy winner, the Vezina winner, the best goalie in the world for an extended period of time. It’s tough news, but we talked about it though,” said Adam Lowry.
“We have all the confidence in the world in what Comrie can do, what Milly can do. Comms has come in and had a stellar start to the year. He had a great year for us last year. He puts in so much time and effort in the gym, on the ice before and after practice, working with Flatts, talking with Helle, I think that he’s prepared for the increased workload.”
