The New Jersey Devils open Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a new name on the roster and one not yet on the ice. New Jersey acquired Connor Hellebuyck in the young season’s biggest move, but the 33-year-old goalie will not dress for this matchup at Prudential Center, where puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
That is why this game is drawing attention now. The Devils entered at 6-4-0 and had won four of their past five, while the Kings arrived at 2-4-2 and were trying to build a third straight victory after an 0-4-2 start. In a Saturday NHL schedule that includes 12 games, this is the one that connects a headline-making trade to immediate on-ice results.
Hellebuyck brings a lot more than a name. He is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner in the third year of a seven-year contract, and New Jersey moved quickly to reshape its goaltending picture by adding him while Jake Allen and Nico Daws had been carrying the load. Daws was part of the package heading to Winnipeg, a detail that shows how much the Devils gave up to make the move happen.
Hellebuyck has not played yet this season after asking for a trade from Winnipeg over the summer, and that is the part that keeps Saturday from being the full debut some expected. New Jersey has the goalie it wanted, but not yet the one it traded for. The next question is whether the Devils use this home stretch to sort out when he finally gets into a game, because for now the trade matters as much for what it changed off the ice as for what it has not changed on it.
