Devils’ Connor Hellebuyck won’t play in return to Winnipeg due to team’s ‘reduction in expected win probability’

In one of the strangest announcements we’ve ever seen…Connor Hellebuyck will not be playing in his return to Manitoba.

On Sunday night, New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta made a statement, saying that the three-time Vezina Trophy winner will not play against his former team, the Winnipeg Jets, on Tuesday night.

In the release, Mehta explained that Hellebuyck wanted to play, but analytics persuaded the team to go in a different direction.

“This has been an organizational decision for us that we’ve debated at length,” Mehta said. “Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg. However, in our estimation, playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability. Even though Connor isn’t playing, at his request, we will coordinate a media availability after Tuesday’s morning skate at Canada Life Centre.”

Tuesday night was going to be the highly anticipated return of the 33-year-old, as it was the first and only time this season that the Jets and Devils would face off in Winnipeg. It’s the first meeting between the two franchises since they came together to orchestrate the blockbuster deal that sent Hellebuyck to New Jersey, with forwards Nick Bjugstad, Dawson Mercer and Alexander Command, goaltender Nico Daws, a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, and a seventh-rounder in 2027 heading to Winnipeg. It came months after Hellebuyck requested a trade from the Jets, leading to him being suspended by the team after he didn’t report to training camp.

Now, even though Hellebuyck won’t be on the ice, don’t expect Jets fans to take their attention away from him. The faithful in Manitoba’s capital have been known to be ruthless to opposing players, let alone someone who asked to leave.

It is strange to say that not playing Hellebuyck hurts the Devils’ chance to win. Ever since the Commerce, Mich. native moved to the Garden State, all he’s done is win. In five starts, the Hart Trophy winner has been victorious, posting a 1.96 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and a shutout. Surprising numbers, given that he didn’t attend training camp or play a game before the trade.

Last week, Hellebuyck posted a letter to Jets fans on his Instagram page, citing “challenging family circumstances” as one of the reasons he wanted out of Winnipeg.