‘There’s gonna have to be conversations’: Jets captain Lowry on potential Hellebuyck return

Things might get awkward in the Winnipeg Jets’ dressing room.

Following the team’s 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Jets captain Adam Lowry was asked about a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about goaltender Connor Hellebuyck’s team-imposed suspension being set to expire Oct. 23.

“There’s still a lot of time between now and then, so we’ll see,” Lowry said to reporters after the game. “I think we do a good job here. Guys are excited to be here, guys are excited to play for the Jets. We come with the mindset that we want to get better every day, we want to win a Stanley Cup here. We want to improve. We don’t really focus on the stuff that’s out of our control.

“Obviously it’s a big piece in our lineup missing, whether it’s assets or the player themselves,” he added. “But this is what we have, this is what we got to make due. You’ve got to put your best foot forward, regardless of the situation you’re thrown in.”

The Jets suspended Hellebuyck without pay after he failed to report training camp. The three-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender requested a trade out of Winnipeg in the offseason.

Lowry, who finished the game with one assist, four hits and two blocked shots in 15:04 of ice time, was asked by a reporter if the organization, specifically the players, would welcome Hellebuyck back.

“Like I said in July, then July and September … he’s a good friend of mine. Do I love the decision and the way it’s dragged on? No. But we’ll handle the situation when it comes. Obviously, we’re disappointed with the outcome, he’s one of the best goalies in the world. But at the same time … if he does show up, there’s gonna have to be conversations, there’s gonna have to be one of those ‘water under the bridge things,'” Lowry said.