For Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs were a process.

A process towards the team's ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup. 

As indicated time and time again, Hellebuyck isn't concerned with Jennings Trophies, Vezina Trophies or even the thought of Hart Trophies. He wants to be the best, and his team to be the best.

"I think this playoff run, there was a lot of learning curves and a lot of things that we've learned and can take away," he told reporters on Tuesday morning. "I know this group is going to get a lot better from that. Not only did we get tighter as a family, but our game got tighter and we're going to continue to grow that and build that. We have pretty much the same group coming back, so we're all very motivated for a Cup. That's our goal. That's all we've got on our mind from now to next year at this time of year. It's all about building the process."

So, when the best goaltender from the regular season goes on to post some of the worst numbers imaginable in the opening round by a winning goaltender, things clearly aren't well. Right?

Well, for Hellebuyck, it is always well calculated, mistakes are ratified and changes are made. 

"That’s exactly what was going on in the first round, just me and the way I’ve gotten to the level I’ve gotten to is because I’ve always had an answer," he said. "I’ve always tried to fix a problem, I’ve always looked at the smallest little details and found an answer. When bad things happen and you’re doing things right, it makes you stand back and really question ‘maybe those tweaks weren’t right.’ I think what I learned the most is you can’t over tweak your game. That’s the biggest learning curve this year. You might be able to find some tweaks but you don’t want to find a ton of tweaks in your game, it’s one little thing here and there. You kind of ride with that for a little bit. The second you over grip it and start overthinking, that’s when you lose your edge."

The first round saw relatively strong home performances and dismal road showings - to which all three resulted in Hellebuyck being pulled from the goal for backup Eric Comrie. 

“The first round was a roller coaster and a mental grind. Once we got through that, the weight of the world came off my shoulders and I started going back to playing my game. Everything that I was studying in the previous round started to come together back to my game. You just can’t abandon your game. Maybe make somet tweaks here and there, but nothing huge. Nothing drastic.

"And you’ve just got to go out there and have fun and realize that bad bounces do happen and sometimes, there is a little bit of a luck factor in hockey. Just trying to control that chaos. Once I started having fun again - not saying I wasn’t having fun - but the level of fun that I’m accustomed to, that’s when my game got good and I just started playing. That’s what I am going to live and die by.”

His inflated goals against average and lowly save percentage are not factors to which Hellebuyck will focus. But rather, its his positioning, communication, minor tweaks, adjustments, the idea of making too many adjustments and defensive breakdowns will be the areas he spends time before next postseason rolls around.

"I got to take a step back and look at my game, my regular season game, and see if it needed to change for the playoffs and I learned a lot of things," he said. "I learned what makes me tick even more. I reassured some things that I already thought. From today to the next playoff game, it's going to be all about building that back up and feeling good about myself and liking where my game is at and getting ready to bring it every single night. That's what playoffs are all about. Ride the waves and every single moment matters. And I look forward to it. And that's what's fun."

Despite finishing the regular season atop nearly every statistical category, Hellebuyck fell apart in the first round, but managed to restore his confidence in the second round matchup with Dallas by rediscovering what helped him have fun on the ice. He shut out the Stars twice and battled to a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 6 - something he says will be on his mind until next spring. 

"Sometimes goals are going to happen and goals go in," he shared. "There’s not always something you can do about it. As far as my game goes, I’m always trying to do something about it, but you don’t want to do too much. That’s a big takeaway that I have. I can’t focus on doing everything. I’ve just got to stick to my game and play my game and I know that, in the long run, it’s going to even things out.

"Bad bounces happen and sometimes you just can’t control them. In the playoffs, a lot of chaos happens. Just trying to control all that chaos were some big takeaways this year. I maybe added a little bit of depth for the playoffs. When I finally started realizing that my game works and I want to play my game, I started having fun. A lot more fun. At the end of the day, that’s when I play my best, when I’m having a lot of fun out there.”