The New Jersey Devils didn’t just make a splash on Friday - they changed the mood in the Metropolitan Division.
By landing Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets right before they were required to start paying the man, the Devils grabbed the goalie they clearly felt they needed. Hellebuyck was suspended for missing the preseason and training camp, and he now walks into a contender situation where he’s expected to be something.
For New Jersey, that matters because goaltending has been the drag on the season. The Devils were already seen as a team hanging around the playoff edge before the year began, and their netminding was the big reason why. With that kind of uncertainty in goal, they were never going to dominate the league, even in a best-case scenario with only league-average play.
The bigger ripple effect shows up in the Metro race. The division is crowded right now, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Philadelphia Flyers sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, while the Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders are battling for playoff spots.
New Jersey’s three-game winning streak has pushed it into a solid third-place spot in the division, and that’s where the sting of this deal really hits. The Rangers and Hurricanes, the two clubs directly ahead of them, were both affected by the Devils getting Hellebuyck. Those are also the Devils’ two biggest rivals.
The impact on Carolina is especially awkward. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Saturday that the Canes were pushing hard for Hellebuyck, but they didn’t have the right centerpiece to make the deal work. To match Dawson Mercer, the Canes would have to give up Logan Stankoven or Seth Jarvis, and while both are better assets, dropping below that level puts the pieces under Mercer.
That leaves the reigning Stanley Cup champions in a strange spot. They’re stuck with lesser goaltending, and that goaltending knows the front office tried to replace it.
Brandon Bussi just won Carolina a championship, and now he’s getting replaced. That’s not exactly a quiet message.
The Rangers were connected to the story in a different way. Igor Shesterkin is out for the season after going down a few weeks ago, and New York has been surviving with Dylan Garand. Jonas Korpisalo is also on his way after suffering an injury.
They weren’t expected to chase Hellebuyck directly, but they were expected to be part of the machinery around the deal. The Rangers were supposed to help facilitate a trade that would have sent Karel Vejmelka or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Utah or Buffalo once Hellebuyck moved.
That never happened. And with it, the fallback options dried up too. There really isn’t another great goalie sitting there available.
So while the Devils made the move to help salvage their own contention, they also took a bite out of the teams standing above them in the division.
In Other News...
Devils Win Streak Suddenly Has A Much Bigger Goalie Twist
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Before the puck dropped, though, the biggest buzz centered on the crease, as the team introduced newly acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. For a club already finding its footing during this run, adding a name like that changes the conversation immediately and gives the Devils present success a far more interesting backdrop than a simple hot streak. [Read more 🡒]
Nico Hischier Is Giving Devils Fans A Huge New Reason To Dream
Nico Hischiers start has given Devils fans a fresh reason to believe the captain is taking another step forward. His scoring has picked up, his shooting percentage is sitting above his previous career best, and his work at the dot has moved him among the league leaders in faceoff wins. Add in the way he has helped drive the power play, and its been a strong all-around stretch for a player New Jersey already counts on in every key situation.
What makes it especially intriguing is how sustainable it looks. Hischier is producing at a level that points toward a real chance to top his previous goal total, which would mark another meaningful jump in his development rather than just a hot run. For a Devils team trying to keep building around its core, seeing its captain contribute this way only adds to the sense that there may be even more upside ahead. [Read more 🡒]