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The Devils have breathed furious new life into what was a dying trade saga around goalie Connor Hellebuyck, issuing a highly unusual and widely rebuked statement about the star’s return this week to Winnipeg.
The team said late Sunday night that Hellebuyck would not play Tuesday in Winnipeg, where he won three Vezina Trophies and a league MVP two seasons ago before demanding a trade away from the Jets franchise. The Devils’ decision to sit Hellebuyck, over his apparent objections, follows a months-long saga surrounding him that had been quieting significantly since acquiring him in a blockbuster trade on Oct. 23.
“This has been an organizational decision for us that we’ve debated at length,” Devils GM Sunny Mehta said. “Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg. However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability.”
On one level, that statement follows fairly standard load-management principles, increasingly informed by analytics, that are implemented across many pro sports. Since the trade, Hellebuyck has played in five games for the Devils, including on Sunday against the Maple Leafs, and has won them all—showing a critical return to form after a marked on-ice regression last season.
Nothing surrounding Hellebuyck, however, has been simple, as his departure from Winnipeg included a refusal to report to training camp and the start of the season. The Jets suspended him, and Hellebuyck forfeited nearly $928,000 in salary prior to the trade.
That dissolution in the team-player relationship brought an ugly coda to the highly decorated run that had solidified Hellebuyck as arguably the greatest player in Jets franchise history. Hellebuyck also led the U.S. national team to the men’s hockey gold medal last February at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. His return to Winnipeg undoubtedly would have brought substantial fan interest in both the U.S. and Canada to an otherwise ordinary midweek NHL game.
“I’m disappointed, but I understand. Selfishly, I want to play, but when you’re looking at the team and what’s best for the team, I understand where they’re coming from,” Hellebuyck said regarding Devils’ decision after the win over the Maple Leafs. “I love Winnipeg and playing there again, and just facing the music and seeing the reaction, it’d be nice. But it’s out of my hands.”
The Devils’ statement also generated widespread shock and criticism across hockey.
“I’m embarrassed for the New Jersey Devils. I’m embarrassed for Connor Hellebuyck,” said Bryan Hayes, host of TSN’s OverDrive in Canada. “It’s the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever read in my life. It’s so bogus and so patronizing. … If Connor Hellebuyck really wanted to play [on Tuesday], he’d be playing.”
Next Steps
The Devils are arranging a subsequent media availability with Hellebuyck for early Tuesday, when he is expected to go into more detail about why he so fervently sought to leave Winnipeg.
“It’s an extremely complex decision, and no one’s really nailed it on the head, because there’s so many things that go into the decision,” Hellebuyck said. “I love every part of [my time in Winnpeg], and I know it’s unfortunate that things ended the way they are.”
The Jets, for their part, took a veiled shot at the Devils early Monday.
“Everybody’s still talking about the big win last night, right?,” the Jets said on social media, referring to both Hellebuyck and the team’s Sunday victory over the Lightning.
The Devils, who have not commented further on the Hellebuyck saga, will not be back in Winnipeg after Tuesday until the 2027–28 season.
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