Luke Hughes already has a pretty good idea of what the Devils can expect. The defenseman skates with Hellebuyck, along with his brothers, New Jersey center Jack Hughes and Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, during offseason sessions filled with NHL players. Hughes said those workouts are competitive, demanding and designed for far more than simply maintaining conditioning.
“We have close to like a billion dollars on the ice, right?” Hughes said. “We get a lot of really good players, and we train to get better. We’re not out there to just stay in shape. We’re trying to get better, each guy.
“It’s hard to score on him. We always joke around, ‘How many goals did you get on ‘Helle’ today?’ Usually, it’s not many.”
The Devils acquired Hellebuyck from the Jets for forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goalie Nico Daws, the rights to unsigned forward Alexander Command, New Jersey’s second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft and its seventh-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft.
The move added one of the most accomplished goalies in the NHL to a team that believes it is ready to contend for the Stanley Cup.
Hellebuyck played his first 11 NHL seasons with Winnipeg and is the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers’ franchise leader in games played by a goalie (625), starts (615), wins (345) and shutouts (45). He won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL three times (2020, 2024, 2025) and the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player once (2024-25 season).
Devils forward Connor Brown said Hellebuyck’s resume is impressive, but his desire to win the Stanley Cup drives him.
“The best part about all of that is he’s still really hungry because he doesn’t have the ultimate prize in hockey,” Brown said. “For him to be able to see that future here in New Jersey, that kind of echoes what I felt when I came here (as free agent July 1, 2025).
“If this team commits to playing that type of hockey, it’s very hard to beat. It’s just exciting.”
Brown said Hellebuyck’s arrival should not tempt the Devils to relax defensively. If anything, it should create a greater sense of responsibility in front of him.
“A guy of that caliber comes in, you want to impress him with our team game, with our defensive game, and show him that he made a good decision to want to come to this team,” Brown said.
Hughes called Hellebuyck a “Hall of Fame goalie,” and said the trade has created noticeable energy inside the dressing room.
“We’re making a push, right?” Hughes said. “With our forward group and our defense, the way we’ve been playing, hopefully we can keep going and keep growing as a team.
“Everyone’s real excited. There’s buzz around the room.”
Hellebuyck said putting on a new jersey after spending his entire career with one team conjured complicated emotions, but returning to an NHL crease brought something much simpler.
“I’m just really excited to play hockey again,” he said. “That was the hardest part about all of this, wanting to go back and not being able to. I’m just ready to do what I do best.”