{allcanada} 'It's hard': Jets' Hellebuyck gives blunt assessment on state of team

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The Winnipeg Jets' superstar goaltender didn't mince words when assessing his team's season on Friday.

Three-time Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck was candid in his disappointment with Winnipeg's poor play at its season-end media availability.

"What we did was unacceptable, and no one wants to be a part of that," Hellebuyck said.

"This year, it was chaos," he added.

The Jets finished the season with a 35-35-12 record, good for seventh in the Central Division. They missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons after winning the President's Trophy for the league's best record in 2024-25.

The path back to contender status appears murky for the frigid northern city.

"It's hard, it's hard. Can you get the pieces you need? Will the players come? Those are always questions that you have in Winnipeg," said Hellebuyck. "I've made it my home, and I like it here, but I think the majority of the league doesn't feel the same way."

Hellebuyck's numbers took a dip, as he recorded a 2.86 goals against average — his lowest since 2021-22 — and a .895 save percentage after back-to-back Vezina wins in the previous two seasons.

The 32-year-old did, however, help the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal with a sensational performance against Canada in the final, stopping 41-of-42 shots faced.

According to Hellebuyck, winning comes before anything else.

"For me, it's winning a Stanley Cup," said Hellebuyck. "That's my goal, and that's all I have left. That's what I want on my resume. I don't play this game for the money. I don't play it for the fame."

But the optimism for a path to the Jets contending, given the team's recent woes, was difficult to access.

"It's hard. It's hard," Hellebuyck repeated. "This is hard for any athlete that doesn't make the playoffs. You know, it's the next day, and all the sudden (we're going to) come over here and say 'Oh yeah we're going to be amazing next year after we just did that' it's just not how it works."

Asked about his future in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck held a long pause.

Among the NHL's elite goalies, he would be a sought-after commodity if made available.

"You know, I don't want to go and leave any speculation," Hellebuyck said. "I love this city, and I love playing here. The fans have given me so much, and I've given so much back to fans. There's a real connection there. I wish more people around the league would see that, and could see that.

"Am I going to tell that I feel amazing about going and winning a Cup tomorrow? No. No team out of (the) playoffs is going to say that. You make your decisions, and you live by them. And as time goes by, you try to reevaluate."

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{allcanada} Pettersson on Canucks future: 'This feels like home'

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Elias Pettersson seemed to be hitting his peak as an elite NHL centre between 2022 and 2024.

His 102-point campaign in 2022-23 featured career-highs across the board, and he immediately followed that up with a point-per-game season in 2023-24 as the Vancouver Canucks played their way into the playoffs.

Since then, however, it's been a slightly different story as his point-per-game totals the past two years have tumbled to career lows (0.70 and 0.69, respectively).

Despite his struggles and increased pressure from the market, Pettersson remains committed to the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2017.

"I like it here, this feels like home," the Swede said during the Canucks' year-end press conferences on Friday. "I signed here for a reason. We're in a tough spot, where none of us are happy with the season.

"We've got good pieces here. So, just trying to build it up and try to build a good team."

Pettersson added that he's motivated this off-season to get back to the elite level of which he knows he's capable.

"I want to be the best player out there, and obviously that hasn't gone the way I wanted the last two seasons and a half," he said. "Trying to change up my (training), see what felt good, what (didn't feel) good. Change up my summer training and go from there.

"I know I have a lot of good hockey in me, and I haven't shown it, but I'm confident in myself. But (I) will change up my training a little bit with certain things."

Pettersson is in heading into the third of an eight-year, $92.8 million contract.

Demko on injury rehab: 'Super excited for what's ahead'

The Canucks played much of their season without No. 1 goaltender and all-star Thatcher Demko, but the 30-year-old San Diego, Calif., native hopes the bulk of his injury troubles are in the rearview mirror.

"I'm super excited for what's ahead," Demko said to reporters Friday. "Like I said, this (treatment) is going to address pretty much everything that I've dealt with in the past, and being able to kind of build it up from the ground up and start fresh is really exciting for me. I definitely have kind of a new sense of vigour in my approach going forward."

Demko was shut down in January with a hip injury, the latest in a string of ailments that has prevented the goalie from playing more than 23 games in each of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery earlier this year, a decision Demko said was made in conjunction with Canucks medical staff and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.

"This last operation that I had is going to be the answer for all of that," said Demko. "So it's kind of like that one last time going through all of this, hopefully.

"Just some of the nagging stuff I had, you know, hopefully kind of dissipates and we've addressed the larger picture."

Demko added that it's been "tough" not being able to help the team as they slog through the rebuild, but that he's "certainly looking forward" to returning next season and helping to take the next step.

Prior to being shut down on Jan. 10, Demko played 20 games with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage with one shutout.

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{allcanada} Caicedo scores first MLS goal, Whitecaps beat Sporting KC for third straight win

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Emmanuel Sabbi had a goal and an assists, 21-year-old Bruno Caicedo scored his first goal in MLS, and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Sporting Kansas City 3-0 on Friday night to continue the best start to a season in club history.

Vancouver (7-1-0) has won three games in a row and leads MLS with 21 points. The Whitecaps have an MLS-leading 22 goals this season and their plus-18 goal differential is the best in the league.

Thomas Müller also scored a goal for the Whitecaps. Yohei Takaoka finished with one save and had his fifth shutout this season.

Sabbi ran onto a loose ball just outside the 6-yard box and his first-touch shot skipped off the bottom of the crossbar to open the scoring in the 13th minute.

Sporting KC (1-6-1), which has four three in a row, has four points and a minus-13 goal differential, both last in the Western Conference.

Caicedo made his first career start (and third appearance) and curled a low shot from the left side of the area that bounced off the far post in the 23rd minute and Müller headed home a cross played into the area by Sabbi in the 28th.

John Pulskamp had three saves for Kansas City.

Vancouver outshot Sporting 25-3.

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{allcanada} Blue Jays ride eight-run first inning to win over D-Backs, snapping four-game skid

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PHOENIX (AP) — Kazuma Okamoto hit a solo homer and had three RBIs, Nathan Lukes added a three-run double and the Toronto Blue Jays used an eight-run first inning to cruise past the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 10-4 victory Sunday that prevented a three-game sweep.

Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak and ended Arizona's four-game winning streak.

Ryne Nelson (1-2) was rocked for eight runs and got just one out. His season ERA jumped from 3.54 to 6.97.

The first eight Blue Jays batters reached base on five singles, two doubles and a walk. Nelson finally struck out Brandon Valenzuela, but Lukes followed with a bases-clearing double for an 8-0 lead, ending Nelson's day after only 30 pitches.

Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (1-1) gave up two runs over six solid innings. He permitted seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Lukes — who entered the game batting .162 — finished with three hits.

Okamoto hit his third homer of the season in the third, smacking Andrew Hoffmann's slider 406 feet over the left-centre wall.

Arizona's Ildemaro Vargas has hit safety in his first 15 games this season, which extends a franchise record. He has an 18-game hitting streak dating to last season, which is the longest active run in the big leagues.

Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll left before the fifth inning because of low back tightness. Jorge Barrosa replaced him and hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays continue their road trip Monday. RHP Dylan Cease (0-0, 1.74 ERA) opposes Angels LHP Reid Detmers (1-1, 3.57).

The D-backs are off Monday before continuing their homestand Tuesday. RHP Merrill Kelly (1-0, 3.38 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Sean Burke (0-2, 4.43).

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