Connor Hellebuyck wasted no time setting the tone after landing with the New Jersey Devils.
Speaking Saturday morning in Newark, the new Devils goalie addressed his move out of Winnipeg a little more than 24 hours after the blockbuster trade that brought him from the Jets. Mehta had already spent plenty of time explaining the deal, his goaltending philosophy and the work behind the move. Hellebuyck, though, kept his message pointed toward the fan base he left behind.
“There’s a lot that I need to say,” Hellebuyck said. “But they have the [Heritage Classic] coming up.
So out of respect for them and the celebration of hockey, I’m going to postpone that to a later date. I hope they know I care about them.”
The 33-year-old never made it onto the ice this season for Winnipeg. He sat out training camp, the preseason and the regular season while waiting for a trade after pushing to leave the Jets, who missed the playoffs in 2025-26 one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
There’s still a chance Hellebuyck could face Winnipeg fairly soon. The Devils are scheduled to visit Manitoba on November 10, which could give him his first shot at playing in front of those fans again. Mehta said no firm plan has been set yet for that return.
Hellebuyck departs as the defining player of this version of Jets hockey. He won three Vezina Trophies as the NHL’s top goalie and, in 2025, became the first goalie to take home the Hart Trophy since Carey Price 10 years earlier.
He also delivered on the international stage. Last winter in Italy, Hellebuyck helped Team USA capture its first Olympic gold medal since 1980, starring in the overtime win over Canada in the gold medal game.
With that kind of résumé, his focus in New Jersey was easy to read.
“I’m here to win,” he said. “The only thing I’ve got left on my resume is a Stanley Cup. So seeing that these guys have kind of got their vision tight on that as well, it’s just going to fit perfectly.”
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