If you were grading the job Sunny Mehta has done so far as the new team president and general manager of the New Jersey Devils, it would be an A.

Key offseason additions Luke Evangelista and Anthony Mantha have provided exactly what he hoped for by solidifying an offense that’s been heavily reliant on Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and captain Nico Hischier in previous years. The additions of depth pieces Evan Rodriguez, Jesper Boqvist, Amadeus Lombardi have created better scoring balance on the Devils’ four lines.

Declan Chisholm has provided head coach Sheldon Keefe with another defenseman he can trust to play on the third pair. Chisholm has played more than Brenden Dillon thus far while teaming with Jonathan Kovacevic. With the emergence of Luke Hughes as the team’s number one defenseman in his fourth season, the Devils have improved on the blue line enough to become a harder team for opponents. They’ve done a better job limiting dangerous opportunities that did them in under Keefe in 2025-26.

Hellebuyck’s Impact Felt in Net

When Mehta shocked the hockey world by acquiring Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets on October 23 for a package that included Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, 2026 first round pick Alexander Command, along with a 2029 conditional second round pick and 2027 seventh round pick, it completely changed the Devils outlook this season.

Even after Jacob Markstrom was subtracted in a deal that landed Rodriguez and Boqvist from the Florida Panthers, there was still uncertainty surrounding the Devils in goal. They were relying on veteran Jake Allen and Daws as the 1A and 1B with waiver pickup Remi Poirier there as insurance.

Over two weeks ago, that all changed with one big impact move that brought in the most accomplished netminder since hockey legend Martin Brodeur played for the Devils. Ever since they brought in Hellebuyck, the Devils have been on a roll by winning seven of eight games. In fact, they’ve won nine of their last 10 dating back to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 20 to vault into second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-5-0 record. They trail the first place Carolina Hurricanes by four points in the division.

After making his Devils debut by stopping 17 of 18 shots in a 5-1 win at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 27, Hellebuyck hasn’t lost in five starts. In their 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on a special night they honored Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Brian Burke, and Cindy Curley before the game, the Devils got two goals from Timo Meier and 23 saves from Hellebuyck, who posted his first shutout in red and black.

He improved to a perfect 5-0-0 with a 1.96 goals-against-average and .913 save percentage. Returning to the net following a wild come from behind 5-4 overtime win against the New York Islanders, which included some fisticuffs from Hughes and Matthew Schaefer, along with Jack Hughes taking advantage of a missed call on brother Luke to win the game, Hellebuyck wasn’t asked to do too much against the Leafs. The team played well in front of him defensively by limiting most of Toronto’s shots to the perimeter while taking care of any rebounds.

Meier ended a 10-game drought by scoring the first of two thanks to a set play off a faceoff won by Hischier. Chisholm found a wide open Meier for an easy put away for his first goal since Oct. 17. He added his second from the elder Hughes and Bratt. Hischier netted a power-play goal by putting a rebound set up by Hughes and Bratt. Connor Brown’s empty netter wrapped up Hellebuyck’s fifth straight win to start the season.

Hellebuyck Won’t Play in Return against Winnipeg

When the game concluded, most of the focus was on Hellebuyck due to his return to Winnipeg coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 9. But before reporters could even discuss that with the American Olympic hero, the Devils released a puzzling statement that confirmed that Hellebuyck wouldn’t be playing against his former team.

Talk about a buzzkill. It was how the statement was worded by Mehta that drew the ire of the national media while fans heavily debated the decision that was made by the organization while communicating with Hellebuyck.

Never before has there ever been a stranger press release than the one Mehta penned that detailed an explanation as to why Hellebuyck would sit out for tomorrow night’s much anticipated game. While it was made abundantly clear that Hellebuyck wanted to do the honorable thing and face the music after asking out of Winnipeg due to threats that were made to his family online following USA’s gold medal win over Canada, the reasoning is mystifying.

According to the GM, Hellebuyck wouldn’t give the Devils the best win probability. Mehta’s overuse of analytics in his reasoning doesn’t sit well with most who cover the sport.

Sometimes, a simple is better. The explanation made the Devils look bad and also hurt Hellebuyck, who had to answer questions regarding the strange statement in the locker room last night. Just watching him openly discuss what Winnipeg meant to him told us how he felt about not playing.

“I’m disappointed, but I understand. Selfishly, I want to play but when we’re looking at what’s best for the team, I understand it,” Hellebuyck said.

“I love Winnipeg and playing there again and just facing the music, seeing the reaction, it would be nice. But it’s out of my hands.”

Hellebuyck’s reaction was exactly what was expected. There was obvious disappointment about him not being able to play against the Jets. A team he spent the first 11 years of his career with and won three Vezinas and the Hart. As a Winnipeg Jet, he finished with a franchise best 345 wins, a 2.58 GAA, .916 save percentage, and 45 shutouts in 625 games (615 starts).

It definitely would have been nice to see him get the start at Canada Life Centre before a raucous environment. It could’ve brought some closure, but instead, the Devils made the decision for him.

Reaction: Is This A Joke?

As can be expected, there was a strong reaction to the Devils announcement on Twitter X. Perhaps the best one came from former player Brian Boyle, who now is a color analyst for the New York Rangers on MSG Networks.

Boyle, who once played for both the Rangers and Devils over a solid 14-year career as a well-respected checking center who survived cancer, was speaking for most hockey fans in his response. ESPN studio host and broadcaster John Buccigross was quick to reply to Boyle. Buccigross went onto point out the obvious, with the sport being an entertainment business, which he further expanded on.

His final point is one I agree with. There wasn’t a reason for Mehta to cite such a perplexing explanation for why the organization felt it was in their best interest to sit Hellebuyck for Jake Allen. All Mehta had to do was word it better by not including the absurd analytical part, which is why the Devils are taking a lot of criticism despite their early success.

If he had just explained that it was better for the team to save Hellebuyck for a home and home against the Washington Capitals later this week on Nov. 12 and 14, nobody would care. The win probability stuff was totally unnecessary.

Even hockey insider Elliotte Friedman gave a very harsh take on how Hellebuyck could be viewed by Jets fans due to this nonsense.

It isn’t fair to Hellebuyck, who looked bothered by the Devils reveal that he wouldn’t play against his former team. The body language was that of a star player who’s a competitor. He wanted to finally explain to the press why he decided to leave Winnipeg. Even if he gets to come clean tomorrow prior to the game, it won’t look as good without him having the chance to start.

In the old days, this never happened. Can you imagine Patrick Roy opting to sit out when he returned to Montreal to face the Canadiens as a visiting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche? There are other examples. It’s just weird.

There’s already enough load management in the NBA. The NHL is supposed to be different from that crap. A lot of Jets fans will be disappointed that they won’t get to see Hellebuyck take the opposing crease for the Devils. Of course, there will still be plenty of derisive chants, which could even be worse with Hellebuyck unlikely to even sit in the corner where backups are seated next to fans.

Here’s a good question. Do the Jets skip doing a video tribute for the former star goalie due to him not playing? Regardless, when the game is played on Tuesday with faceoff after 6 local time up north, it’s still going to be interesting to watch. Unfortunately, there won’t be as much juice.