NEWARK, N.J. – Sheldon Keefe and his New Jersey Devils’ staff added it all up. Since the start of training camp in September, Connor Hellebuyck spent 29 days on the ice honing his game in Michigan against NHL shooters like Robby Fabbri, which is one more than his new tandem mate, Jake Allen, worked with the Devils.
In other words: There will be no long ramp-up to game shape required for Hellebuyck. And that’s exactly how the best goaltender of his generation wants it – to be thrown right into the fire.
It’s a good bet Hellebuyck will make his Devils debut in one of New Jersey’s two back-to-back road games this week – and maybe even in Dallas on Tuesday night, just four days after GM Sunny Mehta’s first big swing.
“If you’re asking me, I’m ready today,” Hellebuyck said with zero hesitation after his first practice with his new team. “I don’t make every decision around here. But if you’re asking me, I am.”
The rest? That will take time.
Hellebuyck said he spent Sunday’s off day, his first day of rest in weeks, house hunting and familiarizing himself with the North Jersey area. He undoubtedly scouted a fishing spot or two with intel from a former teammate. And his first Devils mask is in the process of being painted. He warned it would be simple with the quick turnaround, but it should arrive later this week.
On Monday, though, it was back to work – this time, wearing a new logo for the first time in his NHL career.
“It’s definitely a change,” Hellebuyck said. “Mixed emotions going on. I played in one jersey for the majority of my career, and I loved it. And now I’m excited for the next chapter. It’s really hard to put a word or two to where I’ve come and where I’m going, but it’s an exciting time.”
After opting not to discuss his departure from Winnipeg until after the Heritage Classic, Hellebuyck further declined on Monday to both share his message to Jets fans and detail exactly why he requested the trade.
He did hint that the Jets, who suspended him until the day of the trade (Oct. 23), barred him from returning to the team.
“That was the hardest part in all of this, wanting to go back and not being able to,” Hellebuyck said.
But he said his time to speak about his tenure in Winnipeg is for another day. We may not have to wait long as the Devils are in Winnipeg in two weeks to face the Jets on Nov. 10.
“I’m not ready yet,” Hellebuyck said. “The time will come …. I don’t want to get into that right now; we can talk about that later.”
Hellebuyck and the Devils aren’t looking back. There was a noticeable uptick in the energy and excitement level for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner’s arrival on Monday.
“I think it gives the guys a boost for sure,” Keefe said. “There is a good vibe … I think Sunny, not through this trade, but everything he did in the off-season until now, it sends a strong message that he’s doing everything he can to improve our team – all the more reason and motivation for our group to do the work.”
When a netminder of Hellebuyck’s stature shows up, everyone stands a little bit bigger, a little bit braver, a little bit more confident.
“I think just the confidence,” said Brenden Dillon, who played with Hellebuyck for three seasons in Winnipeg. “He just exudes confidence in his position. Whether it’s touching the puck, on the ice he’s very vocal; in the room he’s very vocal. He’s a guy that puts the work in.”
In Winnipeg, there were moments that Hellebuyck’s vocal confidence caught the old guard off-guard. Going back to the Jets’ run to the Western Conference Final in 2018, before Hellebuyck had the international profile, teammates’ necks would snap to attention when he spoke and displayed outward confidence in himself and his game.
In case you haven’t noticed, Hellebuyck has a view that is uniquely his own. He can be a complicated guy playing a complicated position. He has his own thoughts on the position, how it is managed and coached, and what’s happening in front of him.
“I’ve been in this league for a while, and I have an opinion on a lot of it and a proven recipe,” Hellebuyck said on Monday when asked about his budding relationship with new Devils goaltending coach Dan Stewart.
That confidence has always been on display. It’s how a fifth-round pick plucked from the NAHL in Odessa, Texas became a Hart Trophy and Olympic gold medal winner. That supreme confidence is also what led him to follow through with a trade request that saw him sit out training camp and land him in New Jersey, playing in the U.S. for the first time in his career.
“It’s one of those – love it or hate it, you just have to respect it. Because it works,” Dillon said. “He sets himself aside. When he’s talking in penalty kill meetings or talking d-zone coverage, you listen. It not only shows that he cares and wants to stop the puck; he really wants the team to win.”
You could feel that on the Prudential Center practice ice on Monday – it was a clean sheet, a fresh start for Hellebuyck and for a New Jersey team that wants to be taken more seriously. The Devils have launched into a different conversation now with Hellebuyck turning aside pucks under the shadow of Martin Brodeur’s banners.
“I’m just really excited to play hockey again,” Hellebuyck said. “Walking into a new locker room, I think it’s really important that I get acclimated to the group first – to know that they can trust me back there and I can trust them. Not only that, but you’ve got to bring it every night, and guys need to see that. For me, I’m just ready to do what I do best.”