Connor Hellebuyck. (Via Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Connor Hellebuyck
Position: Goalie
Age: 30
Statistics: 37-25-2, .920 SV%, 2.49 GAA
Contract: Signed through 2023-24 at $6.166 million.
Player Overview
It is going to be an interesting offseason in Winnipeg. Pierre Luc Dubois will be traded at some point. But Frank Seravelli from Daily Faceoff has also reported that star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck could be on the move as well.
Hellebuyck has stated he does not want to be part of a rebuild which can signal the end of his time there. And, for that reason, parallels between potential goaltender-needy teams are being made. Examples of those are the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and even the New Jersey Devils.
Connor Hellebuyck has spent all eight seasons of his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets. The American-born goaltender has cemented himself as one of the best goaltenders in the league. Not to mention, he had one of the best seasons of his career this season, resulting in being named a Vezina Trophy finalist.
This season, Hellebuyck posted a record of 37-25-2 and had four shutouts. In addition, he posted a 2.49 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. A great statistic that showed just how great he was is goals saved above expected (GSAx). Hellebuyck finished the season with a GSAx of 30.8. This was only behind Juuse Saros, Linus Ullmark, and Ilya Sorokin.
Despite the regular season success, the postseason was not very kind towards him. The Vegas Golden Knights quickly won the series in five games. Hellebuyck went 1-4-0 and finished with a subpar .886 save percentage. His negative-2.9 GSAx was among the worst for playoff goaltenders.
Even with his postseason not being the best, Hellebuyck had a great season. Also, his career numbers speak for themselves, as he owns a 2.66 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage since he entered into the league.
Contract
If the New Jersey Devils were to trade for him now, they would not be getting team control. Connor Hellebuyck has one-year left on his current contract. That said deal is seeing him earning $6,166,666 in the final season.
Hellebuyck is coming off a strong season. Given what he did this past season, and the strong likelihood he may replicate it again, his price tag will skyrocket after next season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has done an excellent job with dishing out relatively team-friendly contracts (outside the Ondrej Palat deal). So, paying a goalie big money may not be at the top of his list.
Potential Fit With The Devils
Connor Hellebuyck is certainly a fit for the Devils. While Vitek Vanecek had an excellent season for the team, Hellebuyck is a huge upgrade.
With the likely Mackenzie Blackwood departure, adding Hellebuyck helps shore up the crease. It would give the Devils a great one-two punch with Vanecek and allow Akira Schmid to further develop as he waits in the wings.
The idea of having three goalies in the fold that can play at the NHL level is a good problem to have. If Fitzgerald is looking to upgrade the overall position, the fit is there.
Would A Deal Make Sense?
Despite being an elite goaltender, from the Devils’ perspective, a deal for Connor Hellebuyck does not make sense. When looking at the big-picture outlook of this team, trading a heavy package of assets for an aging goaltender with only one-year left on his deal doesn’t seem to fit the team’s timeline.
Vitek Vanecek signed a three-year contract last offseason. Further, Akira Schmid has shown flashes of NHL readiness. It’s fair to have hesitation rolling into next season with those two as there should be. However, there are much cheaper stop-gap options available that won’t take the hefty resources it would to bring in, and then sign, the franchise netminder who is soon to be on the wrong side of 30 years old.
Look for the Devils to pass on Hellebuyck if he does indeed get moved. As they should.