Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck on ice for first time since knee surgery

There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the Winnipeg Jets and injured goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

The reigning league MVP took to the ice for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 22, head coach Scott Arniel said on Monday.

Hellebuyck’s initial timeline to return was four to six weeks.

The Jets have struggled without their No. 1, losing seven of 10 games without him, and now sit sixth in a crowded Central Division.

Hellebuyck won both the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the league last season, helping his side get to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with 116 points.

Heading into surgery, Hellebuyck was 8-6-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage across 14 games.

He has not been named to the American roster for the Olympics, but is expected to return before the hockey competition starts Feb. 11.