There is no question that the Devils did very well in the Connor Hellebuyck trade. They got the franchise goalie they needed, regardless of Sunny Metha’s rhetoric earlier this season, without paying an arm and a leg.
That said, Hellebuyck does come with a warning tag. The 33-year-old missed all of training camp, as short as it was, and hasn’t played since the end of last season.
That’s a long layoff. And for goalies, long layoffs are not good. Assuming that he’s in playing shape, Hellebuyck will need some time before he can really get back in the groove.
Ideally, the Devils would send Hellebuyck for a quick conditioning stint in the AHL before getting him to make his debut. But the Devils really need him NOW.
That’s why Hellebuyck will likely just jump into the fray and get acclimated along the way. And that could be the biggest concern in this entire situation. There’s no telling what effects the hiatus might have on Hellebuyck. But if Jeremy Swayman is any indication, the Devils should be concerned.
Swayman is cautionary tale for Devils and Connor Hellebuyck
Swayman missed all of 2024 training camp dealing with a contract dispute with the Boston Bruins. He eventually signed days before the 2024-25 season began. But it was clear that missing preseason hurt his overall game. Swayman never got into a groove and had a down season by his standards.
Last season, Swayman didn’t miss a beat. And the results spoke for themselves.
That’s something that the Devils could be looking at. In fact, Devils fans should be surprised to see Hellebuyck off in his first few games. It takes a while for goalies to adjust to the speed of the real game.
And, honestly, no matter how many reps a goalie gets in practice, it’s never the same as the real thing.
It’s like MLB hitters. They need time to adjust to 100 MPH pitches. When they don’t get at-bats, their timing is off. They miss pitches they would normally crush. And it doesn’t matter how many at-bats they get in Triple-A; it’s never the same as the Bigs.
That’s what the Devils and Connor Hellebuyck are looking at here. It will take some time for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner to get back in the groove. Let’s hope that, because he’s a veteran, unlike Swayman was in 2024, he can get back into mid-season form much sooner.
The only thing to consider at that point would be the Devils actually playing defense. But that’s a story for another day.
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