Connor Hellebuyck faced Winnipeg media on Tuesday as the New Jersey Devils arrived in the city to play the Jets, marking his first return since his trade request and subsequent departure from the franchise he spent 11 seasons with.
Hellebuyck will not start Tuesday’s game. The Devils said they opted for goaltender Jake Allen instead, citing concerns about a drop in the team’s “expected win probability.”
During his time with the Jets, Hellebuyck won three Vezina Trophies, the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2024-25, and helped lead Winnipeg to a Presidents’ Trophy that same season. His exit, however, came only after he requested a trade, then skipped training camp and sat out the start of the season, leaving the split with the Jets strained.
Until Tuesday, Hellebuyck had offered little explanation beyond saying he wanted to join a team he viewed as a contender. Speaking to reporters before the game, he gave a fuller account.
“I’ve alluded to this a little bit,” Hellebuyck said. “This was a very complex decision, and a very difficult one.”
He said there was no single incident that drove his decision to leave, but that events affecting his family were a factor.
“There were some moments and some things that happened to my family that for me crossed the line,” he said, adding that he needed to do what was best for his family and his career.
Asked why Winnipeg was being “pinned” for incidents that may not have involved anyone with ties to the city, Hellebuyck pushed back on the idea that he was blaming the city or its residents.
“There were a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again,” Hellebuyck said. “It is more than just online death threats, and I’m gonna ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy; I won’t go deeper than that. But there’s more that made me and my family uncomfortable. On top of some uncertainty with my career, I felt that a change of scenery was best.”
Hellebuyck may be asked to revisit the topic soon. Tuesday’s matchup is the first of two games the Devils and Jets are scheduled to play over the coming weeks.
The 33-year-old, who is from Michigan, was a key figure in Team USA’s gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, making 41 saves on 42 shots in an overtime win over Canada. That performance led President Donald Trump to announce that Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
