New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe responded to the decision to not start Connor Hellebuyck against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Devils head to Winnipeg tonight to take on the Jets for the first time since the two made a blockbuster trade, sending Hellebuyck from Winnipeg to New Jersey last month.
But while Jets fans hoped to see Hellebuyck play in the game, that won’t be the case, as the team is starting Jake Allen instead, citing analytics as the reason for their decision.
It’s one that Keefe, the team’s head coach, says he did not make himself.
Sheldon Keefe Says Devils GM Sunny Mehta Made the Call
According to Keefe, Devils GM Sunny Mehta was the one who made the decision not to start Hellebuyck, not him, as the coach himself said if it was up to him, Hellebuyck would start the game.
“The competitor in me of course wants to get Connor out there. Let’s go, let’s get at it. But Sunny made the decision he didn’t want him to be a part of this,” Keefe told reporters.
“The competitor in me of course wants to get Connor out there. Let’s go, let’s get at it. But Sunny made the decision he didn’t want him to be a part of this.”
Hellebuyck, Jets Fans Won’t Get Closure
The biggest problem with Mehta’s decision to sit Hellebuyck is that the goalie himself, plus the Jets fans, won’t get closure on the situation.
It just feels like everyone just wanted to put this whole saga behind them, but now, because Hellebuyck won’t be starting the game, the issues will continue to linger and linger, which is not ideal.
Sometimes it’s better to just nip things in the bud as soon as possible, and that was the case here, but for some reason, the Devils GM decided to make the decision to sit Hellebuyck.
That also brings up another important note: the GM in New Jersey seems to be the one setting the lineups, not the head coach, which is not exactly ideal.
Everyone knows that, in 2026, analytics play a big part in decisions. But still, it must be odd for Keefe to have analytics decide who to start in goal for him, even when it’s clear that he doesn’t agree with that decision.
Devils HC Sheldon Keefe Responds to Connor Hellebuyck Decision