Connor Hellebuyck is set to make his New Jersey Devils debut Tuesday night in Dallas, four days after the franchise-altering trade that brought the former Winnipeg Jets goaltender to Newark. The 33-year-old was first off the ice following the morning skate at American Airlines Arena, signaling he will start against the Stars at 8 p.m. ET.
Hellebuyck gets the net in Dallas
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Hellebuyck will open the club’s three-game road swing, with New Jersey entering the game at 7-4-0.
- Opponent: Dallas Stars
- Venue: American Airlines Arena
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
- Broadcast: Prime Video, MSGSN
- Trip schedule: at Dallas on Tuesday, at Colorado on Wednesday, at Vegas on Friday
“He is going tonight,” Keefe said. “He’s eager to go. He feels like he’s ready to go.”
The Stars game begins a back-to-back for the Devils, who face the Avalanche less than 24 hours later. With little opportunity for a full practice block on the trip, Keefe said there was no reason to hold back Hellebuyck once he cleared the final check at the morning skate.
“When you acquire someone like Connor Hellebuyck, a goalie who is accustomed to a heavy workload and has not appeared yet this season, you want to get him into action,” Keefe said. “He wants to play. The morning skate was the final checkpoint, just to ensure he was feeling right.”
A new start after Winnipeg exit
Tuesday will be Hellebuyck’s first NHL appearance since April 13, 2026, when Winnipeg closed its regular season without qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After that season, Hellebuyck voiced his disappointment with the Jets’ year and publicly requested a trade on Aug. 27.
He still had five seasons left on the contract he signed with Winnipeg on Oct. 9, 2023, carrying an $8.5 million average annual value. Hellebuyck did not report when Jets training camp opened last month and was suspended; that suspension had been scheduled to end Friday.
New Jersey completed the trade before then, sending a substantial package to Winnipeg:
- Forward Dawson Mercer
- Goaltender Nico Daws
- Forward Nick Bjugstad
- The rights to unsigned forward prospect Alexander Command
- New Jersey’s 2029 second-round NHL Draft pick
- New Jersey’s 2027 seventh-round NHL Draft pick
While away from the Jets, Hellebuyck spent several weeks skating in Michigan. He joined the Devils on the ice for his first practice with the club Monday.
“It was fun,” Hellebuyck said. “I had been looking forward to getting here for a while. It felt good to settle in with a new group and enjoy being out there.”
Workhorse resume gives Devils immediate confidence
Hellebuyck arrives with one of the league’s deepest goaltending résumés. He has won the Vezina Trophy three times and captured the 2025 Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. He also helped the United States win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
His 345 NHL victories rank third among active goaltenders, behind Sergei Bobrovsky’s 459 and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s 375. Since Hellebuyck entered the league in 2015-16, only Vasilevskiy has posted more wins, with 368.
- Career NHL wins: 345
- Active-goalie rank in wins: third
- Seasons with at least 50 starts in the past 10: nine
- Exception: 2020-21, when he started 45 of Winnipeg’s 56 games in the shortened season
Keefe said Hellebuyck’s preparation during the extended layoff made the decision to start him easier.
“From the trade, and certainly once he got to New Jersey, Connor has been clear and confident that he is ready,” Keefe said. “He has prepared himself for an opportunity like this and wanted to be ready when it came. He has put in the work. His career speaks for itself, and you have to trust that record.”
