Hellebuyck is coming off the worst statistical season of his NHL career, going 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage in 57 starts in 2025-26. In 2024-25, however, he led the NHL with 47 wins, a 2.00 GAA and eight shutouts while producing a .925 save percentage.
The Devils are betting that the goalie who dominated in 2024-25 is closer to the real Hellebuyck than the one who struggled last season. They also give him a favorable rebounding environment and a defense consisting of Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic that shouldn’t force him to save the team every night.
After Daws made 16 saves in Thursday’s win over the Ducks, Keefe said, “We have a role to play in front of our goaltenders to make their job easier and I think we held our own there, for sure recently.”
The other part of the equation is the curious future of Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, the older brother of Devils center Jack Hughes and defenseman Luke.
Quinn said the Wild were a team he could consider sticking with, and Minnesota management has made retaining him their top priority. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027, following the final season of his $7.85 million contract. He has been eligible to sign a new contract with Minnesota since July 1, but that has not happened yet.
Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes and Hellebuyck were all teammates on the U.S. Olympic gold medal team in February, with Jack and Hellebuyck the stars of the gold medal game against Canada.
Trading Hellebuyck could make New Jersey more attractive by demonstrating that the organization is ready to build a contender around its brothers.
On top of that, the Devils are hungry for lasting success.
New Jersey has failed to qualify for the playoffs 11 times in the last 14 seasons. They haven’t reached the playoffs in consecutive years since completing a streak of 13 consecutive appearances in 2009-10.
While acquiring Hellebuyck doesn’t guarantee another blockbuster move, it establishes something more immediate as the Devils should no longer view goaltending as a position of uncertainty.
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