New Jersey paid to solve the crease, and Connor Hellebuyck arrives with the kind of résumé that can change the ceiling of an already fast, territorial club. The Devils acquired the three-time Vezina Trophy winner from the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 23, adding a 33-year-old goaltender signed through 2030-31 without moving one of their core forwards or defensemen.
Hellebuyck had not appeared in a game this season after Winnipeg suspended him for failing to report to training camp. Still, the Devils are bringing in one of the League’s most productive starters of the past five years and placing him behind a team that has owned the puck through its opening 10 games.
The road to New Jersey
- Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy in 2020, 2024 and 2025, then added the Hart Trophy in 2025.
- During his 2024-25 MVP campaign, he set personal bests with 47 wins and eight shutouts. He posted a .848 save percentage on high-danger chances and a .906 mark on mid-range shots that season.
- His 2025-26 numbers dipped to a career-low .895 save percentage over 57 games, but he remained among the NHL leaders with 333 saves on long-range attempts, tied for third, and 377 high-danger saves, sixth in the League.
- Before this trade, Winnipeg suspended Hellebuyck after he did not report for camp. He had yet to make a 2026-27 appearance.
- New Jersey completed the deal on Oct. 23, sending Nico Daws to Winnipeg as part of the return.
Since the start of 2022-23, Hellebuyck ranks third in NHL victories with 144. His .916 save percentage is tied with Linus Ullmark for the best mark among qualifying goaltenders, while his 2.43 goals-against average trails only Ullmark’s 2.42. His 17 shutouts over that span are tied for second, behind Ilya Sorokin’s 20.
Durability has long been part of his profile. Hellebuyck has played at least 60 games in six separate seasons, and no goalie has recorded more quality starts since puck and player tracking began in 2021-22. He has 195 such starts, defined as games with a save percentage above .900, including 28 last season, ninth most in the NHL.
There is still a postseason question to answer. Hellebuyck has never reached the Stanley Cup Final, though he helped Winnipeg make the Western Conference Final in 2018. His career playoff save percentage is .903 in 58 games, well below his .916 regular-season number across 625 appearances.
He also arrives after a major international moment. Hellebuyck backstopped the United States to Olympic gold in 2026, stopping 41 shots in the final against Canada. One of the defining plays was a paddle save on Canadian defenseman Devon Toews.
A crease upgrade for a team that needed one
The Devils were 24th of 32 clubs in team save percentage at .876 when the trade was made. Their penalty kill was also 24th at 69.4 percent. The high-danger work from their previous tandem had been particularly troubling: Jake Allen carried an .804 high-danger save percentage and Daws was at .640, both below the NHL average of .809.
Hellebuyck’s ability to handle dangerous chances is the clearest fit. During his Hart-winning season, he finished second in the League with a .937 save percentage at 5-on-5 and fourth in close-game 5-on-5 save percentage at .938. Those numbers matter for a Devils group that has spent much of this season playing in the offensive end.
New Jersey’s possession game sets the table
The Devils missed the playoffs last season, but their early play suggests a different club. They lead the NHL in 5-on-5 shot-attempt share at 59.6 percent and are the only team to outshoot its opponent in every game it has played this season.
- Shots for per game: 35.0, fifth in the NHL.
- Shots against per game: 25.1, sixth fewest.
- High-danger shots on goal: 110, second in the League.
- Mid-range shots on goal: 89, 10th.
- Long-range shots on goal: 68, tied for sixth.
- Offensive-zone time at all strengths: 42.7 percent, tied for sixth.
- Even-strength offensive-zone time: 42.1 percent, tied for sixth.
New Jersey has also created 75 rush scoring chances in 10 games, defined as shot attempts carrying at least a 5.0 percent projected-goal rate. That placed the Devils third in the NHL at the time of the trade, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 78 in 12 games and the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes’ 76 in 12.
The formula is straightforward: less time spent defending, more puck support in front of Hellebuyck and a greater chance to turn his strongest shifts into wins. Winnipeg did not provide that same level of offensive pressure last season.
The Hughes brothers drive the pace
Jack Hughes and Hellebuyck already share an Olympic gold-medal connection. Hughes scored the overtime winner against Canada, while Hellebuyck delivered the 41-save performance in the final. In New Jersey, Jack is again at the center of the attack, leading the club with 11 points — three goals and eight assists — through 10 games.
All three of Jack Hughes’ goals have come from high-danger ice, placing him in the 96th percentile among NHL forwards. His 15 high-danger shots rank in the 97th percentile at his position. His skating workload has been equally notable: Hughes has covered 36.99 miles, ninth among forwards, recorded 112 bursts between 18 and 20 mph, eighth in the NHL, and reached a top speed of 22.63 mph, in the 86th percentile for forwards.
Luke Hughes is providing another layer from the blue line in his fourth full NHL season. He is tied for third among defensemen with 30 shots on goal, behind Matthew Schaefer’s 41 and brother Quinn Hughes’ 34. Luke is averaging a career-high 23:57 per game.
| Luke Hughes tracking category | Figure | League standing or percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Speed bursts of 20 mph or faster | 18 | 97th percentile among defensemen |
| Total skating distance | 36.58 miles | 95th percentile |
| High-danger shots on goal | 2 | 96th percentile |
| Mid-range shots on goal | 10 | 98th percentile; tied for fifth among defensemen |
| Long-range shots on goal | 14 | 96th percentile; tied for 10th among all NHL skaters |
Luke Hughes has scored from each of the three major shot locations this season, another indication of how much the Devils’ back end can contribute to the attack.
The bigger picture
New Jersey’s supporting cast remains deep around the Hughes brothers. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and Luke Evangelista give the forward group multiple finishing and transition options, while Dougie Hamilton remains a key presence on the blue line.
If Jack Hughes stays healthy over a full season, the Devils have enough puck possession, speed and now proven goaltending to challenge Carolina and the Washington Capitals for the Metropolitan Division. They last won a playoff round in 2022-23, and have not won multiple rounds in one spring since their run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Hellebuyck does not erase the unanswered playoff history, but he gives New Jersey a far more credible path to changing it.
