Oct 9, 2026
Connor Hellebuyck is losing about 45 cents every second he stays away from the Winnipeg Jets. As of Friday morning, a fan-built online counter calculated that the NHL goalie had lost as much as US$400,000 — and the overall sum was quickly climbing.
Hellebuyck is absent from the Jets’ ice time because the three-time Vezina Trophy winner had asked for a trade, skipped training camp and was suspended without pay. His decision may have been prompted by his intention to free up money — not paying his salary — as leverage to get him out of Winnipeg.
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Plenty of Canadians stuck in a job they’ve outgrown have flirted with a version of that move — stop showing up and make the boss deal with it. But an NHL goalie with five years left on a multimillion-dollar contract is playing a very different game than someone who needs every paycheque. And the federal safety net doesn’t treat a walkout like a layoff.
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How much is Hellebuyck’s standoff costing him?
What does the Hellebuyck’s holdout actually cost? According to hellebucks.com, a fan site built by data storyteller Robson Fletcher, Hellebuyck’s 2026-27 base salary is US$7.5 million. Since NHL salaries are paid out over the 194 days of the regular hockey season, that means each day Hellebuyck sits out costs him roughly US$38,660. (To be clear, NHL salaries are often reported and paid in US currency.)
For Hellebuyck, that money doesn’t come back. Under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, a suspended player isn’t paid for as long as he stays away from the team, CTV News reports.
For the fans, the sentiment is summed up on Fletcher’s hellebucks.com site: “We’d have built you a statue. Instead we built this counter.”
And, still, Hellebuyck isn’t budging. “My position has not changed,” he said in a statement released by his agent, Ray Petkau, and reported by NHL.com.
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Why can’t most Canadians copy the Hellebuyck holdout playbook?
Hellebuyck can afford to wait. He has years of NHL earnings behind him and a contract that keeps his job in place while the two sides argue.
This isn’t the case for most Canadians employees. To illustrate, let’s assume a Canadian earns CA$60,000 a year, or about CA$1,150 per week, before tax. A four-week standoff would eliminate roughly CA$4,600 in gross pay — at the same time as rent, groceries and car payments still need to be paid.
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But there’s a bigger risk. An employee who simply stops showing up may be treated as having quit, with no contract forcing anyone to hold the job open.
Can you collect EI if you quit your job?
For anyone who quits a job, is it possible to collect Employment Insurance (EI)? Usually not.
According to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the federal department that runs the program, workers who quit without just cause can’t receive regular benefits.
To qualify for EI due to ‘just cause’ means that leaving your job was your only reasonable option given the circumstances — for example, facing unreasonable pressure from your employer or coworkers to quit.
Service Canada will also ask what alternatives you tried first, such as raising the problem with your manager or HR.
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Even when you qualify, EI isn’t a full paycheque. The program typically replaces 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a 2026 maximum of CA$729 a week. At this point in time, Hellebuyck forfeits more than 50x that — every day.
Is there a smarter way to get leverage at work?
Whether an NHL star or an employee, real leverage is not what you walk away from but what you can move towards.
For instance, an official offer from another employer gives you a credible reason to negotiate with your current employer or an excuse for a clean exit.
If the problem is the workplace itself — harassment, unsafe conditions or unpaid overtime — document it and use internal channels first. Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO), a non-profit that publishes plain-language legal information, recommends getting legal advice before you quit for any reason.
What Canadians can do, before quitting a job
Before you make a move, run through this checklist:
- Build a cushion first — aim for several months of essential expenses in a high-interest savings account or TFSA
- Job hunt while you’re still employed — a signed offer beats a verbal promise
- Put problems in writing — keep emails, notes and dates, and try your manager, HR or union before resigning
- Check the EI rules and get advice — especially if you feel you’re being pushed out
And what about Hellebuyck?
Hellebuyck’s standoff is a gamble he can afford to lose — at least, for a while. As Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters: “A contract is a contract in the National Hockey League, period.”
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Romana King, Senior Editor at Money.ca, also writes for various North American publications and the RKHomeowner blog. Her book, House Poor No More, is an Amazon bestseller and five-time award winner, including the 2022 New York CPA Society's Excellence in Financial Journalism (EFJ) Book Award.
