The offseason is in full swing with plenty of rumors out there. One of which is a pretty big one involving the New Jersey Devils. On TSN's latest Insider Trading show, Pierre Lebrun of TSN and The Athletic reported that Winnipeg Jets' netminder Connor Hellebuyck is very much open to an extension in a sign-and-trade with the New Jersey Devils, among other teams as well:
“The New Jersey Devils are one of the teams that we understand Connor Hellebuyck would be interested in signing an extension with in a sign-and-trade. Now, they’re not the only team, of course.
New Jersey has investigated it. They have had a conversation with Winnipeg. But I think what probably gives New Jersey pause and some other teams is the kind of money Hellebuyck would want in an extension. We believe that to be in the Andrei Vasilevskiy range, $9.5 million a year.”
LeBrun did also say that Hellebuyck’s ask would have to come down for the Devils to get more involved in trade talks.
Why should the Devils stay away from Connor Hellebuyck
There cause for concern from the Devils in terms of paying Hellebuyck for a couple of reasons:
The first is the Devils will probably be unwilling to pay a goalie in his 30's a long-term contract with the reported AAV. One thing that Tom Fitzgerald has done very well with the Devils is not putting them into bad contract situations and keep a healthy cap for years to come. If Fitzgerald wants to keep things going this way, paying Hellebuyck what he wants would not be good business.
The second reason is that you don't want to get into a Sergei Bobrovsky situation like Florida has been in. The Panthers signed him to a seven-year, $70 million contract with a $10 million AAV back in the summer of 2019. Since he signed the contract, he hasn't really lived up to it until this past year in the playoffs. Even with the run of success this past season, Bobrovsky struggled immensely in the Cup Finals and couldn't help the Panthers avoid being beaten in 5 games by the Vegas Golden Knights.
There still is question about whether or not he is the guy long-term for the Panthers with cheaper option such as Alex Lyon and Spencer Knight ready to potentially take over. The Devils have young/cheaper options moving forward with Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, Nico Daws and even Tyler Brennan. If the Devils go with what they have, they would be able to still have that healthy cap and get average to above average goaltending. Just look at what Adin Hill just did for the Golden Knights as a prime example of not paying a ton for a goalie to help you win the Stanley Cup.
The third reason is that the Devils still need to pay guys like Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec long-term. If you sign Connor Hellebuyck to what he wants, then you add another player taking up a huge chunk of cap. With Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Hellebuyck, the Devils would have five players making north of $7 million and two at $9 million in Hellebuyck and Hamilton. Timo Meier could even reach that number. Even with the salary cap going up each year, you probably won't be able to keep all of Mercer, Luke Hughes and Nemec in your fox whole long.
Mercer's Entry-Level contract will run up and he will be an RFA after the 23-24 season. Luke Hughes is already beginning year two of his ELC and it will expire after the 24-25 season. Nemec' ELC will also expire after the 24-25. Both Hughes and Nemec will be RFA's as well that offseason. All of them will require upticks in salary and even contract lengths and by having Hellebuyck in New Jersey long-term would make things much tighter and you may lose one or two of the guys I just mentioned which I don't believe Tom Fitzgerald wants to do at all.
Why the Devils should go after Connor Hellebuyck
Just like what I said about why the Devils should stay away from Hellebuyck, there are a couple of reasons why the Devils should seriously consider going after him.
The first is the upgrade you would immediately get in net if you acquire the goaltender. Hellebuyck has been nothing short of an absolute workhorse in his time in Winnipeg. Since 2016-17, Connor Hellebuyck has won 25 or more games in six of his eight seasons in the NHL. He has won 30 or more in half of the seasons of his career. He has recently won the Vezina Trophy in 2019-20, has been a nominee for the award four times including this past season and has been considered for the Hart Trophy as league MVP three times.
With the defensive core and forward group the Devils have, it gives Hellebuyck a strong team in front and will allow him to have just as much if not more success than he did with the Jets. This is not just talking about the regular season but in the postseason as well.
The second reason is that he may very well be the missing piece to a championship puzzle. It's no secret that the Devils' goaltending was very much up and down during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. From the start of Game 1 until his last outing in Game 4 vs the Hurricanes in Round 2, Vitek Vanecek looked very shaky. Despite a phenomenal regular season, he could not regain that form in the postseason as he finished with a 1-3-0 record in four starts, a 4.64 GAA and a .825 SV%. He's only won two of the ten games he's played in his short career in the playoffs. That's not what you need from your goaltender for sure.
Akira Schmid came in for Vanecek starting in Game 3 of Round 1 vs the Rangers and started off very strong in his playoff career. He went 4-1-0 in the 1st Round with two shutouts including one in Game 7 of that round to knock out their Hudson River rivals. However, things took a turn for Schmid in Round 2 vs the Hurricanes. Whether it had to do with inexperience or something else, Schmid struggled to the point where he was pulled twice and benched for game 3 in a span of 5 nights. He finished with a 4-4 record, a 2.35 GAA and a .921 SV%. His numbers look good, but he still has a ton of room to grow.
With Nico Daws reportedly out until the middle of next season after offseason surgery, it's possible that the Devils may keep Schmid in Utica next season and look for another option in net to be paired with Vitek or someone else depending on if Vanecek is part of a Connor Hellebuyck trade. Hellebuyck has longer track record of success in the playoffs. Despite the 17-23-0 record, Hellebuyck has a career 2.58 GAA and a .916 SV% in the playoffs. He even guided the Winnipeg Jets all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2017-18. Experience is a vital part of any championship team and Connor Hellebuyck would bring just that to a Devils team ready to make a Stanley Cup run.
The last reason is that the Devils wouldn't have to give up a ton for Hellebuyck if they chose to acquire him from the Jets without an extension. Pierre Lebrun mentioned in his NHL Offseason Trade Board 3.0 that the Devils might be open to acquiring Hellebuyck without an extension. This is the best way to go if the Devils do indeed want to acquire the 30-year old netminder. There's a few reasons why. One, the price would go down to trade for him if the Devils just get Hellebuyck as a rental. Second, the Devils could spend the year evaluating and negotiating with Hellebuyck and his camp on a more team-friendly deal. If not, they can do a sign and trade which would get them some good assets in the long run.
It should be a wild offseason ahead and we'll see how far the Devils may go in potentially adding a Top 10 goalie to their roster.
Let me know what you guys think below.
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