Photo By: The White House. This photo was provided by Wikimedia Commons and is being used under the permissions for use by News Organizations.

Authored By: Adrian Rosati

The New Jersey Devils have a new face in town between the pipes. And if you haven’t heard about it by now, you must be living under a rock. What’s interesting about the entire Hellebuyck situation, however, is that the Devils were not the favourites to land him heading into Friday. But they certainly made an offer that Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets couldn’t refuse, that’s for sure. Buffalo, Carolina, and Los Angeles were reportedly among teams who were agressively pursuing him. Focusing on the Eastern Conference teams, particularly Carolina, does this move give the Devils what it takes to challenge the Hurricanes for the Metropolitan Division title?

Currently, the Devils rank seventh in the league in fewest goals allowed across all situations, dropping to 10th when considering five-on-five play only. These numbers are encouraging from a goaltending perspective, as there isn’t a significant drop-off between their overall defensive results and their five-on-five performance.

However, when we look at team save percentage, the Devils rank 21st with an abysmal .878 save percentage. The league-wide team save percentage average this season is .886, which isn’t much higher. But when looking at the top 50 goalies in the league, the average save percentage climbs above .897, which is a significant difference. Effectively, the Devils are allowing approximately two additional goals for every 100 shots faced compared to that benchmark.

Clearly, with Sunny Mehta being a numbers guy, this is an area the organization feels it needed to improve in net. Looking at Hellebuyck’s numbers last season, he is coming off a year that was subpar by his standards. He posted an .895 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA across 57 games. It was the first time in his career that he finished a season with a save percentage below .900.

For this move to pay off, Sunny Mehta is betting that last season was the exception, not the rule. Last season, the Devils and Jets were relatively similar in terms of team save percentage. If Hellebuyck doesn’t improve on his most recent numbers, this is a marginal upgrade at best.

The potential upside becomes even clearer when looking at the 2024–25 season from a team goaltending perspective. The Jets led the league that year with a .915 team save percentage, carried by Hellebuyck’s incredible .925 save percentage during his Vezina and Hart Trophy-winning campaign. New Jersey ranked 11th that season with a .900 team save percentage. There is a considerable improvement to be had if Hellebuyck can return to that form.

Hellebuyck will replace Nico Daws, who was traded as part of Friday’s deal. In four starts for New Jersey, Daws posted a .872 save percentage. Even if Hellebuyck regresses to the numbers he posted last season, the Devils should still see an improvement in net, albeit with the caveat that Daws’ sample size is much smaller than Hellebuyck’s 57-game workload.

Daws primarily served in a backup role this season, and the young goaltender has yet to establish himself as a consistent NHL option. This trade clearly provides stability by bringing in a proven commodity.

Looking at Jake Allen, who was the starter prior to the trade, he posted a .886 save percentage across seven games. If the Devils can continue to get that level of production, or slightly better, from Allen in a backup role, this team could become a nightmare matchup for the rest of the division. Keep in mind that New Jersey currently occupies a divisional playoff spot despite the goaltending numbers outlined above.

Was this a good trade?

All in all, I like this move for New Jersey. Yes, they may have slightly overpaid, but I think the numbers above show that we should see a positive impact as a result of this trade.

When you trade away a goaltender like Markstrom, as the Devils did this offseason, you need someone of comparable calibre to step in. They certainly acquired that in Hellebuyck, and they did so under the radar, too, might I add.

Another interesting angle is whether this move could entice Quinn Hughes to sign in New Jersey. Sure, many expect Quinn to want to play alongside his brothers at some point, but it’s possible that the brothers could eventually move to another market to achieve that dream. With New Jersey signalling that it is going all-in, this move sends a clear message that the organization is in win-now mode.

The Devils missed the playoffs for just one season and are now back in a divisional playoff spot. Adding Hellebuyck could be the move that helps them take the next step.

Does this make the Devils a legitimate threat for the division title?

I think it’s still too early to crown the Devils as legitimate contenders for the Metropolitan Division title based on this trade alone. A huge part of the equation will be how Hellebuyck performs without the benefit of a training camp.

If he can recapture his 2024–25 form despite being another year older, or even produce somewhere between that incredible season and last year’s numbers, it could very well change my opinion on whether this trade makes New Jersey a legitimate threat.

Dallas presents a tough test in Hellebuyck’s season-opening start today, Tuesday, October 27. That game could offer an early glimpse of what we can expect from him in New Jersey.

By American Thanksgiving, we should have a much better idea of where things stand based on his performance.

Do you agree with my analysis? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!