With three Vezina Trophies, a Hart Memorial Trophy and an Olympic gold medal to his name, Connor Hellebuyck is officially a New Jersey Devil.
On Aug. 27 of this year, Hellebuyck made a public request for a trade out of his former team, the Winnipeg Jets.
When the Jets commenced their annual training camp in September, Hellebuyck did not attend. Winnipeg suspended the goaltender, with the suspension ending on Friday, Oct. 23.
That’s when the New Jersey Devils, who have struggled for the last few years in terms of netminders, jumped at the chance of acquiring Hellebuyck. For Nico Daws, Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command and a seventh-round and second-round pick from the 2027 and 2029 NHL drafts, the Devils received Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck practiced with his new club on Monday and played in his first game since April against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
“Really, when you trade for someone like Connor Hellebuyck who’s used to playing a lot and hasn’t played yet this season, you want to get him going,” Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said in an article from NHL.com. “He wants to play, so that was really it. This morning skate was the last little checkpoint for him to make sure he’s feeling good.”
On Tuesday night, the Devils defeated the Stars in a 5-1 win. Hellebuyck had 17 saves in the win, captivating Devils fans and his new teammates.
“He just spread this calmness out. He’s a very calm goalie, and he made some big saves in the game in certain situations where it could maybe turn a little bit of momentum to their side,” Captain Nico Hischier said in an article from NHL.com. “Obviously, great to have him on our team.”
With this win, New Jersey abolished Dallas’ five-game win streak and added to the Devils’ own winning streak. Hellebuyck will be integral for the Devils as they vie for the Stanley Cup playoff contention.
Sunny Mehta joined the club as the Devils’ general manager this year and has worked towards bringing in some new talent to the Devils’ roster, including forward Luke Evangelista, to compliment what they already have.
“You want to bet on a person that has a large sample size of excellent results who’s on a good cap hit. That’s literally the three things that hit Connor,” Mehta said in an article from NHL.com on his process as the GM with this acquisition.
To see Hellebuyck in action again, the Devils take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights Friday Night. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. from T-Mobile Arena.
